Acquiescence
by Lady Flick
Summary: COMPLETE! ZUTARA. Zuko, Katara and Sokka go under cover into the Fire Nation. EPILOGUE UP!
1. Not Quite Doused

**Author's Note **

I do not own _Avatar_ or any of its characters, those belong to the beloved Mike and Bryan. However, I do own this plot-thing that I've created, so please don't steal, thanks.

Also, this is my very first attempt at an _Avatar_ fic, so constructive criticism or suggestions and such would be _greatly_ appreciated. I have just recently fallen in love with the show, particularly the pairing of Zuko and Katara (they are _so_ love) and have been inspired to take a shot and contribute to the growing Zutara fandom.

If I have any errors in names, places, spelling and canon plot prior to Book III, Chapter 13, please **let me know**. There is nothing more that I hate than screwing up canon and facts – seeing as I am but an _Avatar_ fic-writing fledgling, I want to take special care with what I include in this story.

Now, I hope you like it, and comments are more than welcome C:

**L**eading off _Book III Chapter 13_

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**A C Q U I E S E N C E **

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**_Chapter I _**

**Not Quite Doused**

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**T**he moon shone just outside the make-shift window against the crumbling stone wall, the silvery beams cascading into the girls' quarters. Katara lay wide awake on the floor, Toph's not-so-light snoring keeping rhythm with her breaths. It was difficult for her to fall asleep; in fact, it's been a challenge to catch any shuteye for the past few days. It was bothersome, really, being unable to sleep – she needed her rest. Afterall, they had an oncoming war! She'd like to think that perhaps her mental turbulence was due to the anxiety of said confrontation, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the battle against the Fire Nation – no, her unrest was brought about by a single person who was currently residing in that very same air temple, three chambers down. Katara let out an exasperated sigh, opening her eyes to stare at the hidden ceiling above her. This was getting ridiculous; everyone else could sleep while he was around! She was just being silly and paranoid…

How infuriating!

With a resigned grumble, she kicked off her blankets and scrambled out of her cot, not bothering to trouble herself with shoes or even dressing. Her nightgown, undergarments, would suffice; It was a nice night from what she could tell. It's been a row of nice nights – but what else could one expect from summer? Katara stood from the ground, absently massaging her shoulder-blades as she padded across the room, only half-aware of Toph's snoring and breathing and tossing and turning. The waterbender paused at the threshold, glancing back at her roommate, wondering why the girl was so quick to trust (for the most part) the boy who had been so relentlessly chasing after their band of vagabonds. She wondered how Sokka could sleep with such ease, knowing that the banished Fire Nation Prince was in a room just across of him. But most of all, she wondered how Aang could ever accept that royal brat (the conniving, deceptive, traitor of a boy!) into their midst.

Sure, he had his fair share of good deeds, but did those really outweigh all that he had done? Katara left her quarters, creeping down the halls of the abandoned temple, making her way to an opening out onto the cliff-side where she could look up through the large canyon where the sky melded into earth and breathe in the summer air knowing that such peace would not last with the war looming near. She has been coming to this very spot night after night, setting down on the ruins of the Western Air Nomads and looking up at the moon. It was a clear night, still and beautiful, and Katara drew her legs to her chest.

Was she being immature and childish in her reluctance to accept someone who had previously tried to kill her friends (on more than one occasion)? She didn't think so, and yet reflecting upon the past week, the Water Tribe girl couldn't help but ponder the idea that maybe she was being bitter and unrelenting – but come _on!_ Was taking a swipe at their lives such a light-hearted crime? Alright, so he repented. So he saved them. So he agreed to teach Aang to fire bend. That didn't change the fact that he was quite the talented liar, con, and Katara was not inclined in trusting him…not after all the damage he's already done. It was impossible for her to just set that grudge aside. His countenance was the face of the Fire Nation…

_Was…_she reminded herself, albeit reluctantly.

But even so, he proved that the boy she met and trusted and pitied back in the crystal catacombs was a lie, and that would not soon be forgotten—

"Couldn't sleep?"

Katara glanced over her shoulder at a silhouette not too far behind, and she spared a grin, unseen in the shadows. "No," she answered lightly, hiding any of her previous hostilities behind a usual cheerful demeanor. Aang stepped out from the dark, his bright eyes catching the moonlight. He looked rather tired, but that goofy smile was plastered on his face despite his evident fatigue. He had just returned not a few hours ago from an expedition to the Sunfire Tribe ruins and should really be resting for his training the next day. She was about to tell him just that, but the Avatar only shrugged a careless shoulder, reading the concern in her eyes, and moved over to take a seat beside her.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me, I've been sleeping the whole week," he said with that boyish smile.

His counterpart didn't miss the implicit message. "I'm just worried about the war is all," Katara opened, gaze lifting back up to the mass of stars and sky hanging above them.

Aang gave her a long look, searching, disbelieving, but nodded, deciding not to press her further. It was quiet out, but the silence was comfortable. There was only the barest wind that blew through the ruins, and he reveled in the feel of it against his skin, only taking minimal notice to Katara's lack of…coverage. He turned away at once, settling his eyes up at the cliff-side staring back at them, the hint of a blush crawling over his cheeks. Oh no, he was far from over Katara, and it was increasingly difficult to just _let her go._ A part of him wanted to be selfish; a part of him didn't _want_ to give her up, but he knew that he must and that he should start now. He had to let her go to save her.

To save everyone.

It was a bitter reality, but true all the same.

"What are you doing up?" The girl invading his mind broke the silence, and Aang glanced back at her, at the peaceful look on her face, at the way she just seemed to bathe in the moonlight.

Oh yes, getting over her would be even more challenging than mastering the four elements.

He tried for a careless laugh, but with resentful thoughts plaguing his head, it sounded hollow. "I couldn't sleep with Sokka's sleep-talking," the airbender said through his teasing smile. "There's only so much talk about meat I can take," he added as an afterthought, coercing an amused laugh from his female companion.

Katara shook her head, chancing a look at the twelve-year-old who was far more mature than his biological age. It was amazing, the growth he's made from when she first met him; that silly boy in the iceberg who only wanted to play. He was strong and powerful, he was grown up and wise someone she could be proud of. "Well, you know Sokka and his love for meat," she said with a grin, the corner of her lips tugging up just barely.

Aang let out a soft chuckle, a mere breath of a release, but said nothing more. He didn't know what to say, to tell the truth. Ever since he kissed her he's been feeling a bit awkward when alone with her, if only because they never spoke of the kiss afterwards. There didn't seem to be a change at all in their relationship since it happened, since he braved himself enough to _do_ it, and he wasn't sure if that was good or bad. If there was no shift in their interaction, did that mean she's been comfortable with him kissing her all along? Or did it mean that she simply _forgot_ he did it? Two completely opposite takes on a single event, and he had no idea which one to follow. Katara seemed normal enough, her insomnia aside (he knew that wasn't because of him), but that side of him longed to know just how she felt.

Nevermind that to reach the Avatar State he'd have to give her up, nevermind that kissing her was probably a bad idea, but if he hadn't he would have always wondered, would have regretted, and Aang wasn't too fond of _What if's_. He did his best not to look her way, lest he be stunned with the way her hair moved with the slight wind, the way her features glowed even through the dark. It was hard, being around her so much and knowing that he might not have her in the end, but he continued to torture himself in her presence, continued to indulge himself in her laughs, her smiles, the way she'd frown whenever Sokka said or did something particularly stupid, the way she'd nag them whenever they were being especially childish...

"Aang?"

The boy blinked out of his thoughts and turned his wide-eyed gaze to the girl sitting beside him. "Huh?"

She was looking at him oddly, a single eyebrow quirked. He had been staring into space with a distant look on his face for a stretch of time and Katara felt unnerved, as if he's left her there with the temple ruins. "Did you hear me? I said you should really get to bed, you have training tomorrow with him, remember?"

_Him_. She couldn't even bring herself about to say his name.

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" Aang enthused, following with a chuckle, "I'd start now if Zuko didn't need his beauty rest."

Katara couldn't help but scoff at the sentiment. "La knows he needs it," she muttered, mostly to herself.

Her companion laughed and leaned back along his elbows, stretching his legs over the uneven sacred ground. "You know, you're even more mean to him than Toph," he pointed out absently, nothing but amusement in his tone, "You shouldn't be so hard on him, Katara, he's helping. And I'm sure it was difficult for him to ask to join us."

"You shouldn't be so trusting," the girl snapped at once, unable to control her tongue.

Aang blinked at her retort but dismissed it with ease. "Everyone deserves at least one chance--"

"Exactly," Katara interjected, standing up and brushing off the dirt and rubble from her clothes, "He's already used that one from me." With that said, she left the airbender at the mouth of the temple to stare dejectedly after her retreating form. Had she stayed she would have seen the young Avatar throw a pebble into the darkness and hear a part of the opposing cliff face crumble under the impact. She moved lithely down the hall, muttering under her breath the entire way. She was tired of people lecturing her about her views on that traitor. He kept switching sides and it was so confusing. How many times has he been down this path before? Once? Twice? Three times? Who knew how long he'd last on the 'good' side this time around? She could understand why Aang would risk it, he was forgiving and peaceful. But how could anyone else expect her to trust him? He betrayed her. He tricked her. She felt _sorry_ for him. She pitied him and wanted to _help_ him.

What would have happened had she used her Spirit Water to heal his scar?

What would have happened if the intrusion hadn't happened until _after_?

Would he still have gone back to the Fire Nation?

Would Azula have struck Aang down?

Would Aang have _died_?

It was a terrifying prospect, knowing that she came so close to being unable to heal Aang's mortal wound. And why? All because that Fire-Prince-Brat told her some sob story about his mother and unleashed his deceptive anguish? She trusted him that first time, gave him the benefit of the doubt, and he turned away. Aang almost died...no one realized how _lucky_ it was that Azula came crashing into the catacombs – no. That wasn't luck. It wasn't good in any sense. Rather, Katara's own foolishness almost cost Aang his life, and she'd be damned if she let that happen again. But no one understood. No one could understand. She didn't want to admit that she had very nearly used up Aang's saving water on a boy unworthy of her help, of kindness.

Unworthy of a _second chance_.

Katara hesitated at her room's door. Toph was sleeping soundly, buried beneath her own sheets and still snoring, blissfully unaware of the tremors shivering up her roommate's frame. The waterbender crept along down the corridor towards Sokka and Aang's quarters, where her brother was (surely enough) muttering in his sleep some nonsense about their next meal. She frowned just faintly at the empty cot where Aang should be (was he still sitting outside?) unable to shake the guilt of knowing his life very nearly slipped through her fingers. She felt her nails dig into the marble-like threshold of the chamber, before turning away and catching a glimpse of _his_ room.

She floundered for a moment, unsure of what to do, and then resolved to peek into his chambers. What was the harm? He was fast asleep, afterall. The Fire-Prince-turned-good. A scoff escaped her lips at the thought - she had more than a shadow of a doubt that this was nothing more than a ploy. He was a good actor and she had to recognize his talents for what they were - deceptive. Katara peered curiously into his chambers, straining her ears to listen for any sign that the (obvious) traitor was still awake. It was darker in his room than the rest (probably because there were no windows) and she could only barely make out the shadowed figures inside. She pressed against the side of the entry way, her cheek resting against the cool material that made up the temple, and scowled into the darkness, waiting for her eyes to adjust.

"Do you always watch people sleep?"

The girl jumped at the sound of his voice, smooth and undeterred, but immediately recomposed herself, grateful for Toph's snoring and Sokka's talking to ease her own light gasp of surprise. It took all of a millisecond for her to gather her wits about her once more, and she frowned haughtily into the dark room. There was no movement inside, and she uneasily contemplated just how long he's been watching her stare at him (or was that a wall she was glaring daggers at?). "Do you always pretend to sleep?"

"Do you _ever_ sleep?"

Katara scowled at him, at his cheek, at the unassuming tone of his voice. "Yes, I usually don't have trouble sleeping."

"Then what are you doing up at this hour?"

"I _can't_ sleep."

"Why not?"

"Because _you're_ here."

There was a hesitance in the room, a sudden thickening of tension, and Katara wondered if he was hurt by her comment, if he cared at all. Did he even hear her? Had he fallen asleep? Did he dismiss her with a flick of his hand, deeming her boring and un-amusing, or perhaps not worth his time? So many thoughts, so many contemptuous possibilities, swam in her mind and Katara found his returned stillness increasingly unnerving. A retort was at the tip of her tongue, ready to lash out at him and call him out for everything he's done and said and put them all through, when a small flickering flame lit up from the opposite end of the room, precisely where she had been staring.

Katara eyed him suspiciously, entranced by the blaze held easily in the palm of his hand, small and playful almost, in the way that it danced, casting shadows along the walls, over his face, and his eyes (that couldn't possibly be _glowing_ and were a captivating sort of golden hue that matched the central flame hovering over his palm--and what was she doing even thinking of that?)

"I can't sleep because I'm here, either."

* * *

**Chapter II -- Over An Open Fire _Excerpt_**

With an awkward laugh, the airbender lifted a hand to scratch the back of his head and shrugged. "Well, I'm ready whenever Sifu Hotman is," he said exuberantly, flashing a toothy smile at the waterbender.

("Stop calling me that!" Zuko growled from his cot, dully ignored by the duo.)

"I guess I do have a long day of training ahead of me tomorrow, I'm going to sleep."


	2. Over An Open Fire

**m3tfr34k:** Thanks so much for being the first to review C: I'm certainly glad you liked it, of course, and yes, verb-tense issues. I have a tendency to get too wordy for my own good…it doesn't help that I rarely ever go back to reread after typing up a chapter -lazy- Anywho, I'm glad you liked the dialogue, and the last line was definitely my favorite. Ain't Zuko just darling?

**GroggyRae:** Not quite what you expected? Well, as long as it's a good thing C: Now I'm curious though, what _did_ you expect? Oh I'm glad you think it's in character, I was berating myself all last night about how I'd better not screw the characters up :D Ay, darned grammar and my never-rereading-what-I-wrote-ness. Thanks for the heads up on verbs C: I'll keep a look out for more of those -ninja- Oh, and I adore first person…actually, it's my favorite style to write in, but I didn't want the fic to be restricted only to Katara's perspective. I wanted to get more into Aang as well…and all the other characters, while I'm at it C:

**Orion Velvet:** First I will say that your penname made me grin. I don't know why, but it did. o o; Well, anyway, thank you so much for reviewing and I'm definitely glad you like it! Eagerly? Then I do hope this chapter satisfies your eager wait :D

**ChipFest:** Haha oh yes, they are definitely meant-to-be (they just don't know it yet.) Though I imagine Zuko would have a hard time sleeping, as well, being among people who don't trust him and all. Katara really shouldn't be so surprised…the poor simple-minded-biased-waterbending-future-Zuko's-wife. Subtle, aren't I? -cough-

**ju97ju97****:** Next few chapters? Lol perhaps. This is definitely no insta-romance, of course, and I've been known to torturously drag out tension C: Their relationship will be progressive…and Aang's own conflicts won't be ignored. I feel so bad for that poor guy, pit up against Zuko? Oh, he has no chance! DDD; But I love him and things will certainly get complicated -grins-

**magickbendingdemon:** You! :D You make me smile. You know why? Because I totally recognize you as an HUDC reviewer, and I love that you're reviewing something of mine that's not Naruto -dances- It totally makes me feel loved C: I'm glad you liked this, and it's so nice hearing from you on a different fic in a different fandom xD

**thexgreatxtriplexc:** I'm glad the chapter was lovely, I hope this is just as lovely (or lovelier) C:

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**A C Q U I E S E N C E **

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_Katara eyed him suspiciously, entranced by the blaze held easily in the palm of his hand, small and playful almost, in the way that it danced, casting shadows along the walls, over his face, and his eyes (that couldn't possibly be glowing and were a captivating sort of golden hue that matched the central flame hovering over his palm--and what was she doing even thinking of that?)_

_"I can't sleep because I'm here, either."_

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_**Chapter II **_

**Over an Open Fire**

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**H**ow did he expect her to respond to such a statement? Was he being sarcastic? Possibly, _funny_? Katara wasn't sure what to think, how to react, and settled on maintaining her lofty tone. "It would probably be best for the both of us if you didn't sleep here, then," she said primly, not even trying to hide her contempt. The faint light of the fire in his hand was enough for her to see that his face was unaffected by her response. Either he had become accustomed to her derision or he simply didn't care. Probably both. It shouldn't have surprised her, really. In hindsight, everyone was getting annoyed with her pessimistic attitude towards the newest member of their team – especially Toph, who never wasted a chance to reprimand her about it (_"Geez, Sugarqueen, did someone switch the sugar and salt shakers on'ya or somethin'?"_). Why should Zuko, the bane of her existence, be exempt? Even so, Katara let her instincts rule over her logic whenever said prince was concerned, and she took every opportunity to glare at him, or at least let her disapproval of his presence be known. In the middle of the night was no exception.

Zuko, on the other-hand, did not take her bait and only quirked an unseen brow. This girl, this waterbender, was as different as night and day. One moment she was sweet and motherly, smiling and laughing, the next she was spitting fire like the very firebending masters he and Aang encountered not too long ago. Her disdain was not alien to him; on the contrary, Zuko was actually quite familiar with such scorn and distrust. His experiences with the men running his ships, with his father, with Azula, only made her childish dislike all the more laughable. But he wouldn't laugh, oh no, that would be a mistake, and so he remained unperturbed, serene and perhaps just a little bit tired, waiting for her to say something else. The last comment she made seemed unfinished and hung in the stillness between them.

When she only stood there at the entrance to his chambers, her face hidden in the dark, Zuko shrugged and dared to venture speaking again – he wouldn't ever admit it, but he found her obvious disgust with him _amusing_ if only because he flustered her so. It might not be the best reason to annoy her, but she was too stubborn to even recognize his civility. Why bother trying anymore? As Sokka once said, _"She'll either come around, or you'll find that you actually still _do_ wet the bed."_ For some reason, Zuko couldn't see the waterbender as that juvenile, but neither did he imagine her to hold such abhorrence for him.

And no, Sokka's statement was _not_ the reason he couldn't sleep that night (or any other nights previous), it was the blaring fact that though he was now on what most considered 'the good side' life would still be very, painfully, _frustratingly_ difficult. But hey, the universe hated him afterall.

He should have seen this coming.

"So…" he began slowly, as if taking some time to choose his words, "Where do you prefer I sleep?"

Katara felt a muscle twitch and she took a hostile step into his room, sparing the fire-boy no mercy, "I'll tell you just where you can sleep--!" The words barely left her lips in a fumbled mess when a familiar voice interrupted what promised to be something insulting and crude.

"Is he awake? Can I start training now?"

She held onto her verbal offense, swallowing what acid was left in her tone, and glanced over to the bright young airbender standing behind her, eyes wide and childlike in their naïveté. She almost lost her temper again, and La knows Aang didn't like it when she argued with Zuko, which was quite ironic considering their past. But she respected Aang, cared for him enough to try to be polite, or at least civil, despite her instincts (that, she mentally added, were not at all like her brother's.) "Ah, yeah, he's awake," the girl said with a forced smile, "But I'm not sure if now's the best time to be training, Aang."

His name, his name slipping past her lips, was so deliciously euphonious that the Avatar had to blink out of a momentary lapse of judgement. It was hard to forget that he had kissed her days before, that he actually felt those lips of hers on his, and that she didn't _mind_ (or seem to mind.) He was still getting over the shock – it wasn't every day that he kissed the love of his life, afterall. With an awkward laugh, the airbender lifted a hand to scratch the back of his head and shrugged. "Well, I'm ready whenever Sifu Hotman is," he said exuberantly, flashing a toothy smile at the waterbender.

("Stop _calling_ me that!" Zuko growled from his cot, dully ignored by the duo.)

"I guess I do have a long day of training ahead of me tomorrow, I'm going to sleep."

Katara gave him something of a sincere smile, her eyes, previously livid with the firebender, now warm and adoring. "Good night, Aang." Even her tone was soft and almost caressing, "Sleep well."

He paused, giving the Water Tribe girl a knowing look, before nodding and moving off into his own room. His smile was still on his face, that hopeful and naïve smile that spoke volumes of faith and optimism (and love) as he trotted away with aloofness only Sokka could teach. "Night Katara, Sifu Hotman."

"Call me that one more time and I'll--!"

"And you'll _what_?" Katara snapped dangerously, rounding back onto the Fire Prince in his chambers now that Aang was out of her line of vision. He was still only in the room across the way, meaning that he could hear whatever conversation took place between her and Zuko, but with the hot-headed brat on the brink of threatening Aang, Katara would _not_ play nice. Her eyes flashed with a foreign sort of hatred, and she swore she could hear her own teeth grinding. "Don't forget, Prince Zuko, what I promised you the night of your arrival."

Never would he have pinned Katara to be one to give death threats (and keep them) but there were more things that have been shocking him recently. His decision to switch sides, for one. So he dismissed her warning with a mere nod, but willed himself not to cringe at the title. His name sounded like a disease on her tongue and felt like an incessant pounding in his mind. He wasn't _Prince Zuko_ anymore. He surrendered that name the moment he realized his true destiny – nor did he want it back. The fortunes and the power…what good were they in a world like this? He was a changed man, a better man, one that no longer needed petty titles to establish honor and glory. He thirsted for truth and peace and balance…

"What are you doing here?"

Katara blanched, before recomposing herself at once. Her mouth parted to shoot a reply at the awaiting face of the enemy, only to shut it because she didn't quite know how to answer that question, as simple as it was. "This is where we're all staying for the time-being," she reasoned with a condescension rivaling Azula's, "it's the only place that's _safe_ for us right now."

"No, I mean, what are you doing _here_? At my room?"

Well, now there's a question she hoped he wouldn't specify. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing there, why she was lingering at the doorway of his chambers, why she didn't just _leave_ already after realizing that he was most definitely _not_ asleep. It was a fair enough inquiry, but one that would render her as addle-headed and maybe even stupid because…what _was_ she doing there? Katara frowned, folding her arms over her chest, and glared ruefully at the flame blazing on his hand. She could just barely tell that the edges of his lips were curled up in something that could only be amusement.

Or arrogance.

"I was just passing by," she answered at last, temper rising, "and then you engaged me in conversation. Did you expect me to just leave in the middle of a sentence?"

"Yes."

"Ex_cuse_ me--?"

"Well, it's what you've _been_ doing," Zuko added pointedly.

His counterpart smoothed away the rage from her face. This banished prince would _not_ get the better of her! "Would you believe that I've decided to turn over a new leaf?"

"Do you believe that I _have_?"

Oh, he just thought he was so smart, didn't he?

Yet admittedly, Katara fell right into that one. She set herself up for it, which was the real zinger, but she wouldn't let the haughty smirk on the fire-brat's lips get under her skin. Not with Aang in the next room over and probably eavesdropping. Instead she opted for sheer civility, and painted an empty smile onto her dark features. "We both know the answer to that one," she said evenly, fingers curling into a fist at her side.

Zuko quirked a single brow, the light in his hand faintly dimming. "Alright then," he began pensively before giving her a distinct nod. "I don't know what more to say but 'goodnight.' So…goodnight."

She returned the gesture, eyes penetrating his, which were still so bright even in the shadows. "Goodnight," Katara muttered disparagingly. As she left, a spurt of water doused the flame, leaving Zuko's palm drenched, and a portion of his sheets soaked through. He scowled to himself, peeling the damp covers from his form and irately drying his hand on his shirt.

"Damned waterbender," he groused in aggravation, eyebrows furrowing. It seemed that Sokka had been right, and Zuko was certainly not looking forward to the other evils he never thought Katara would be capable of.

After some time kicking away the wet sheets, the boy fell back onto his cot, closing his eyes in exasperation.

He was _not_ looking forward to what lay ahead.

* * *

"Maybe if you'd stop pretending that you're such a good hunter we'd stop making you go out to get the food, ever think of _that_, snot-face?"

Such was the ruckus that Zuko now woke to.

It was a blistering summer morning, not unlike the past few days. The skies were clear and the sun burned with a hot intensity, warm and comforting. Aang sat around, happily munching on nuts and berries, undoubtedly freshly picked, as Sokka cooked what little fish he could catch in a nearby stream. The hunter relentlessly defended his skills against an irritable Toph, who was apparently starving and not nearly satisfied with her breakfast.

The firebender raked a hand through his hair, the locks snaking through his fingers at first unfamiliarly long and shaggy, but now nothing short of the usual. Trimmed hair was a thing of the past. He grew his out now, a sign of his separation from the crown, from the hierarchy, the tyranny.

"Morning Flinty!" Toph greeted, turning his way even before he stepped out into the sunshine.

Zuko gave what he hoped was a smile (telling himself not to comment on the nickname the girl had become quite fond of) at the group as the earthbender returned to her task of tossing jibes at Sokka. It amazed him to see them acting so _normal_ around him, and he was glad for it, that he didn't disrupt their lives as much as he's jarred his own.

"Sit and eat, we've got lots of food!" Aang welcomed, gesturing to a spot on the floor next to his flying lemur (who seemed to be trying to fit as many nuts as it could into its mouth.)

"Lots of _berries_, maybe," Toph amended, earning a prod from the ego-wounded warrior.

"If you think you can do better, then why don't _you_ go out and get us some food?" Sokka countered, waving a flimsy fish on a stick at the critic. "Besides, we'd have more fish if you didn't decide to eat so many!"

Toph only snorted at his remark, commenting that she didn't want to hurt his ego.

A statement that caused Aang to choke on his berries.

"Fine, if you don't appreciate the trouble I went through—"

"You mean falling into the stream and finding poor fish were caught in your shorts?"

"—then no fish for—" Sokka stumbled in the midst of his sentence, face twisting into that of horror. "I did _not_ fall into the stream!"

Aang and Toph were very much amused, and the butt-of-most-jokes grumbled about his lack of respect. But the snarky raven-haired girl didn't take his threat to heart, even going so far as to steal a fish and consuming it right before him. Zuko watched, unsure of whether to smile or scowl. Sokka was slowly warming up to him (slowly being a relatively feeble term) and he didn't want to risk treading on thin ice with the Water Tribe warrior, but it seemed the usual thing to do – laughing at Sokka, that is. He grinned to himself, opting to find his own food. It wouldn't be difficult, catching wildlife was a breeze compared to breaching enemy fortresses.

An over-cooked _thing_ was held in front of his face, and Zuko glanced at Sokka in light bewilderment. "_You_ can have a fish," the swordsman-in-training offered, more out of keeping the food away from Toph (who was busy doing an exaggerated imitation of Sokka's presumed fishing habits) than actually being polite.

Even so, the former prince had to chuckle. "No, I'm fine. Besides, I'm sure your sister will want some." Not that he much cared for the girl, but it wouldn't hurt to be nice to her. Afterall, things would run much more smoothly once he won over her trust, or at least her respect. Yes, he was fully aware that Katara far from respected him, and being on such bad terms with anyone on team Avatar (!) just made life ten times harder than it needed to be. Zuko didn't need such set-backs, especially not because a woman could hold life-long grudges (nevermind that she was the only one in her right mind, not trusting him after everything he's done.)

Aang looked at him oddly, before nodding and standing up, clapping his hands together in an attempt to clean his palms of the berry stains. "Right, Katara'll probably be waking up soon, anyway," he agreed.

"You're too nice to her," Sokka stated lightly.

But Toph only laughed out loud. "He just doesn't want to force down that crap on a stick!"

She and Sokka resumed their heated verbal match and Aang gave his sifu a quirky smile. "Don't worry about them. I'm sure you'll get used to their arguing eventually." Zuko didn't bother mentioning that he already was quite used to it. "Anyway, do you want to go get something to eat first before we start my training?"

How the kid could be so _cheerful_ all the time was beyond him, but Zuko nodded, glancing up the cliff face and into the den of trees he knew bordered the landing. "I'll be quick," he said as he climbed up the side of the crevasse with alarming ease. Sokka and Toph's argument eventual faded to dull murmurs in the distance, and he allowed himself to laugh at their antics. He doubted that it would cease to amuse him, this baiting of Sokka (who sometimes really did challenge his reputation as a scientific and militant genius.) The group was full of surprises, but that in itself was a lesson he's already learned, afterall, there was not a moment that went by that was outright _boredom_. Not that he ever partook in the fun, he'd feel much too awkward, but it was entertaining enough to sit back and watch the comic scenes unfold.

Zuko reached the flat mesa and landed lithely on the field. The heat surrounded him, enveloping his form and embracing him with its fiery intensity. It was definitely welcome and the boy reveled in this momentary grace, before ducking into the shady forest to hunt for something to eat. He decided that testing out his firebending wouldn't be the wisest idea, not when he was deep in a nestle of (flammable) trees, and instead withdrew a one of the Dual Dao swords strapped to his back, the metal sliding from its sheath with a ringing sound of pure flawlessness. It gave him a sense of satisfaction, the perfect _fit_, the familiarity of the hilt against the skin of his hand.

A rustling in nearby bushes alerted him to a rabbit, and without a moment's hesitation, the poor creature was struck down with a painless blow of the blunt end of his sword. A single rabbit would suffice for at least a day – he was never one to have a large appetite, and so the banished prince agilely descended the ravine, returning to the temple mouth in time to hear a certain azure-eyed girl mouthing off about him.

"Hmph, that's just like him to refuse food you caught just so he can go out and kill something _else_."

"Actually, he said you'd want the fish," Sokka pointed out, idly cleaning out his ear with a pinky.

Her brother's words fell on deaf ears. "I bet he's up there burning half the forest!"

Aang's eyebrows rose at the prince's return and he promptly tried to stop Katara's rant, but the waterbender wouldn't pick up on his exaggerated hand gestures and uncomfortable Um's.

"Why didn't one of you follow him? What if he's off to tell the Fire Nation where we are? What if--?"

The aforementioned _he_ cleared his throat and Katara nearly jumped out of her skin. She spun around, scowling at Zuko who innocently stood there behind her, holding a dead rabbit by its legs in one hand and lazily running his free hand through the hair at the nape of his neck. "If you don't like fish, I've got hare," he said, brushing off her earlier comments.

Toph broke out into a large smile and pumped a fist into the air. "What're you waiting for, Flinty? Toss that bunny onto the burner and let's get some _real_ food into our stomachs!" A resounding _Hey!_ came from Sokka, but even he seemed eager to cook the fresh meat. Aang, predictably, opted out, but Katara had to force herself not to cringe at the thought of sharing a meal with the firebender. She took a stiff seat on the ground next to Toph, who had already taken the rabbit from Zuko and was happily cooking it on an open fire (courtesy of said prince). Sokka scolded her about burning herself, but when she showed no signs of worry, went on to complain that she might burn the rabbit, at which Toph flatly told him that even if the rabbit was charred to a crisp it would still be better than his fish.

Katara warily eyed the newcomer, clearly uncomfortable being so near to him. Zuko, on the other hand, maintained a sense of calm that only managed to unnerve her all the more. "What are you doing here?" she finally asked, voice low so that only he might hear (Toph and Sokka were preoccupied with who would be cooking the food, and Aang was happily tending to Momo and Appa.)

The Fire Prince stared into the blaze crackling before them, amber gaze fixated on the flames that leaped up and caressed the hare, devouring it with burning touches. "I'm here to do some good," he answered just as quietly, before settling his stare onto her. "So you'd better get used to me, princess, because I'm not going anywhere."

Katara stiffened at the sight of him, at the way his eyes were so piercing, but she stood her ground, raising a defiant chin. "We'll see about that."

And with those words a challenge was sparked.

One that neither was willing to lose.

* * *

**So I hope that was alright for the second chapter  
I'm still a bit unsure of exactly where this is going  
But bear with me, I promise this will be one helluvuh ride C:**

**It will definitely take some serious charming on Zuko's part to win Katara over  
But it might be rather slow, seeing as I don't want to make him too OOC  
Though he's at a bit of a cross-roads in attitude at the moment  
I still want to maintain that temperamental firebender we all love.**

**I feel like the part when everyone was together was a bit choppy  
And...shoddily (not a word -fail-) written  
But no worries, it'll get better -hopes-**

**Anyway, thanks for reading this far, everyone  
& I definitely hope you liked it :D**

* * *

******Chapter III --**** Knight in Ashen Armor **_Excerpt_

The moment Zuko mentioned inhaling and exhaling patterns Aang went into a whirlwind of groans. Evidently the Avatar was not a fan of breathing. Which was questionable and would coerce a sarcastic remark from the aggravated firebender had Sokka not been there to make the comment himself (earning him a smack over the head from his sister). "Why are you so anxious, anyway?"

"Oh, maybe it's because if he doesn't learn this before Sozin's comet happens by we're all doomed?" Toph mocked, disinterestedly picking the dirt from between her toes (much to both Sokka and Katara's dismay.)


	3. Knight in Ashen Armor

**Twilight Dragoness:** Saraii! :flyingtackles: Thanks for reviewing on here, m'dear C: and I'm glad you like the fic so far. Bwahah my Naruto stuff, all romance and such, mostly nonAU, except for _Heads Up, Damage Control_ which is like…my most popular one. Anywho, yes, I did a one-shot for Gaara x Ino for someone and it became totally popular after :D I found that I adored the pair, as well. Now, back from that tangent (we seem to always go off on tangents, ne?) I didn't really _intend_ for all of those fire metaphors et cetera, I think they just snuck their way in because of Zuko, the sneaky devil. Studying my technique? You mean the one where I write and just see where I go with whatever the hell I have so far? :D

**badculture:** Bwahaha yes, he called her Princess! Foreshadowing? Perhaps. Well, seeing as this is Zutara, it probably is fforeshadowing cough anyway, there will definitely be some in the future though Katara won't take kindly to being called _Princess_, that I promise you.

**Sunbattle:** I do? Yay! I'm glad they're recognizably in character enough so that people don't go all "WTF so-and-so would never do/say/think that! :flames:" Zuko, submissive? :balks at the idea: He's much too stubborn and temperamental to be submissive. At least, the Zuko we know and love is too stubborn and temperamental…and has some anger issues to work out C: Ah yes, Flinty. I tried to think of a better nickname really, I wasn't too fond of it, but I'm glad you liked it, I may just keep it then.

**anon:** No name? That's cool, still appreciate the review C: And thanks for the assurance in my group-writing skillage shoft Lol

**kitkat1327:** Oh Lovely yet again C: it's nice to know people think my work is good :nods:

**ChipFest:** Yes challenges certainly make everything all the more interesting, no? But this challenge won't actually take place until they realize they've made one C: Which will be soon, I assure you. Katara is just convinced that Zuko's out to get them, and poor Zuko's trying to keep his sanity working with the group. There will be much more Zuko-and-Katara-trying-to-out-do-each-other-ness C: And I'm your new hero?? :flattered: Oh _stop_. (Keep it coming.) :cough:

**ju97ju97:** Bwahah I do hope this was soon enough o o, I'm not sure I want to know the _or else…_ it sounds ominous.

**magickbendingdemon:** Lol yeah I thought your name looked familiar and then I decided to go through my _HUDC_ reviews, just for an ego boost and maybe some inspiration to finally finish that fic, and then I saw you and was all gasp! But anyway, yay I'm glad you liked the group scene C: I'm really trying to keep everyone in character as much as I can, so if anyone steps out of line feel free to let me know, ay? C:

**Inubaki:** Oh, a convert? Or at least a Kataang who sees the possibilities of a Zutara, oh my! :D

**thexgreatxtriplexc: **And I hope this chapter is even lovelier than the last :D (I'm sensing a pattern…)

**raiinbow: **Wee, I'm glad you found Zuko amusing, and the banter, I do love the banter. You can count on seeing more insight into Aang's head and his feelings and such towards Katara. There will be a smidgen of Kataang in this, it's unavoidable with how I want to make it seem as canon as possible, but I think I've let on too much, ne?

**Psycotaco:** Psycotaco. Lol, your name makes me giggle. That aside, thank you for boosting my ego about my writing style, it's very much appreciated, and I'm really glad that you think the cast is in character. I'm trying my best to keep them so C:

**

* * *

**

A C Q U I E S E N C E

* * *

"_I'm here to do some good," he answered just as quietly, before settling his stare onto her. "So you'd better get used to me, princess, because I'm not going anywhere."_

_Katara stiffened at the sight of him, at the way his eyes were so piercing, but she stood her ground, raising a defiant chin. "We'll see about that."_

_And with those words a challenge was sparked._

_One that neither was willing to lose._

* * *

_**Chapter III **_

**Knight in Ashen Armor**

* * *

**N**o, you have to _breathe_, remember?" Zuko said impatiently, criticizing every aspect of his pupil's (rather pathetic) firebending. "Your form's all wrong. Stop rushing through the motions!" He and the Avatar had been training for the past two hours ever since breakfast – which was pleasant enough, Katara's glares aside – and the 'hope of the world' was doing his best to try the prince's patience. The moment Zuko mentioned inhaling and exhaling patterns Aang went into a whirlwind of groans. Evidently the Avatar was not a fan of _breathing_. Which was questionable and would coerce a sarcastic remark from the aggravated firebender had Sokka not been there to make the comment himself (earning him a smack over the head from his sister). "Why are you so anxious, anyway?"

"Oh, maybe it's because if he doesn't learn this before Sozin's comet happens by we're all _doomed_?" Toph mocked, disinterestedly picking the dirt from between her toes (much to both Sokka and Katara's dismay.) The earthbender glanced up at the active pair, her pale eyes seemingly watching Zuko from behind her mat of raven tresses, and gave the prince a crooked grin. "I think we're all keen on _living_, thank-you-very-much," a statement that only humored a resistant giggle from the waterbender and something of a twisted smile from the opposite.

It was Sokka's turn to chortle, however, and he let out a biting laugh. "Except Aang, who apparently hates breathing." Perhaps it was funny the first time, but the same joke repeated twice only met a group so silent not even the crickets indulged him. "Tough crowd…" Sokka grumbled irately, folding his arms over his chest.

The twelve-year-old girl only beamed at him, a characterized slyness in her expression. "Actually no, we're fairly easy – you just suck."

Katara stifled yet another giggle and the sound was so foreign to Zuko's ears that he couldn't help but let his eyes glance over to her. She seemed distracted, gushing into a tag-teamed bickering match against a hopeless Sokka, and he eyed the trio for a moment longer. At least they were all busy amongst themselves and were not likely to interrupt this (fruitless) training (within the next minute.) He settled his gaze onto Aang who was busy with a small flame guarded between his palms. The airbender's eyes were wide with curiosity, childlike insouciance blatant across his face, and Zuko had to remind himself that he was dealing with a _child_.

No matter how mature or how significant his role in this war might be…

With a resigned sigh, the Fire Prince let his arms drop to his sides. "Here, just relax and master the basics before playing with fire. You know that you have to learn the rules before breaking them, right?" He felt like he was lecturing a _two_ year old, and Zuko wasn't sure just how thinly his patience could be stretched. _This is for a good cause_, he staunchly reminded himself.

Aang expressed utter disinclination, but understood where Zuko was coming from. Afterall, his lack of mastering the techniques during a prior opportunity led to accidentally hurting someone he cared for. He should know by now just how important the fundamentals were. "I tried learning firebending a first time, remember?" He opened, still experimenting with the small blaze safely kept between his hands, "I hurt someone because I couldn't control it." Something passed from behind his gaze, and Aang released a deep breath before letting the fire leaping from his palms dwindle into a faint gust of wind. With a set determination, he met Zuko's eyes and nodded. "Alright, I'm ready," He said firmly, assuming the position his initial firebending sifu taught him, legs apart, back straight.

But Zuko only gave him a strange look, "What is that, your concentration stance?"

"What?" Aang faltered, losing his balance in sheer alarm. "No, it's…it's the position I have to…it's for—" he studied his sifu's expression, seeing nothing apart skepticism, "—breathing."

The prince looked unconvinced. "_That's_ how you breathe?" He said with a hint of amusement, "No wonder you hate it so much. You _look_ like you're constipated." Alright, so he was having a little fun himself, it wasn't illegal! And besides, after two hours of quarreling with this kid, he had to convey his annoyances in ways other than swearing or physical violence. The first was simply frowned upon (by both his pupil and Katara) and the latter would undoubtedly get the waterbender on his case (again). So aggressive humor it was! "If you need to go, I suggest the trees."

"Taunting him isn't very productive."

Zuko almost cringed at the sharpness of her tone and his gaze jumped immediately to the offending voice, the pitch capable of breaking glass (or at least twitching a muscle in his face.) Katara looked very displeased with the verbal banter, her eyes as cold as the snow that was her home, but Aang laughed it off, waving a hand of dismissal. "Don't worry, Katara, we're making progress, see?" And as if to prove his point, he conjured a flame, trailing it around him in orbit – an image that vaguely resembled a comet. The group fell quite silent after that, their eyes trained on the fiery mass as it returned to the palm of Aang's hand and disappeared.

The Avatar might not have meant it, but the display served as a grim reminder of just _why_ they were all here in the first place.

It was Toph who dared break the silence.

"Nice trick Twinkletoes, now can you make one about a billion times bigger and smash it into the Fire Lord?"

Aang chuckled, giving the earthbender a slanted smile she couldn't see, "No, but that's why I've got Sifu Hotman to teach me!"

"What _is_ it with you referring to me as that?" Zuko cracked, clearly annoyed with the nickname.

Sokka only rolled his eyes, recalling the term Aang used to greet Fire Nation dwellers during their infiltration. He was reminded of how oddly Aang acted, walking around saluting everyone with a bright and cheerful smile. How many times did Sokka hear the word 'hotman'? Countless…the warrior grinned, flashing an irritated Zuko a knowing smile. "Don't take it personally, all Fire Nation people are 'hotmen' to him. It's not a come-on."

Zuko not-so-gracefully choked on air, taking an exaggerated step away from the airbender. "You even _look_ at me that way and I'll--"

"Oh, don't bother even finishing that threat. _No one_ will look at you that way," Katara snapped.

"No need to worry about me, I can't even _see_."

Katara let out a bitter laugh. "Don't worry, you're not missing much."

"You could be big-nosed and wart-covered and I wouldn't even know!" Toph exclaimed gleefully, "_Are_ you big-nosed and wart-covered? I won't judge. Should I start calling you Warty Mc Huge-Shnoz?"

"Haha even a blind girl is making fun of your looks, that's pretty pathetic!" Sokka chimed in.

Zuko fisted a hand in aggravation. "Can we lay off appearances, please?" He proposed in an obviously strained voice, fighting the (unbearably enticing) urge to release a few Nuisance-Seeking fireballs. "We have more important things at hand, don't you think?" Like the fact that the future of all mankind rested in the hands of an airbender who was currently making faces at Sokka (who mentioned Aang's over-endowment in the ear department.) The Fire Prince slapped a hand over his forehead, letting it trail down his face, and groaned inwardly.

This was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

And he thought it was going to be difficult to begin with!

"We're not _getting_ anywhere with this!" The newcomer snarled emphatically, waving his arms in wild gesticulations. "At this rate the comet will have come by _twice_ before Aang gets down his firebending!"

Apparently, being the new voice in the group was the equivalence of invisibility, because absolutely no one heard him. Sokka stood from his perch on the ground and stretched his limbs, letting out a satisfied sigh in the process. "I'm going to go into the nearest village and see what I can find out about the Fire Nation," he announced, dusting his clothes free of the dirt that clung to his shorts. "For…strategy purposes."

Katara rolled her eyes, looking at askance at the swordsman-in-training. "You just want to go buy more food, don't you?"

"If I so happen to pass by people selling food, it would only be polite to support their businesses," he answered solemnly. "--or steal," Sokka declared dignity so thin that even Toph could see through it. After a breath's moment, he slumped his shoulders and gave an expected smile, "Alright yeah, I'm a _little_ hungry."

"You just ate two hours ago!" The earthbender chided.

"Yeah but a growing boy needs to eat."

Katara nagged, Toph cracked jokes, Sokkfa whined, Aang watched…

And Zuko could have strangled them all.

* * *

"This is stupid," Zuko grumbled as Toph (the _blind_ one) set to fixing his hair in a vain attempt to cover his scar. The earthbender's fingers sifted and prodded, patting down his hair with surprising force, the skin of his face reddening under her effort. "I can't even see through that eye anymore!" The prince muttered under his breath.

Toph only flicked his nose. "You complain one more time and I'll make it so you _really_ won't be able to see through this eye anymore," she warned threateningly, impatience evident. "Now hold still and let me finish--"

"You can't even _see_," the boy interrupted, but Toph was undeterred.

"Well fine, would you rather I call Sugarqueen over here to--?"

Zuko kept his mouth shut but made sure to sulk as Toph quite professionally blinded one eye (via covering what marred his face). When she was done, she laughed, pleased with her work or his reaction the prince couldn't be sure. It wasn't until the earthbender teased him did Zuko flush a faint shade of red.

"Of all the people to be scared of, it's Sugarqueen!"

He glared at Toph as she bounded away, declaring that 'Flinty' was all ready to be seen by the masses. He was _not_ scared of Katara! It was just much easier to deal with everyone when he saw less of her! The waterbender was difficult, and he's had enough of difficulties – wasn't his plate overflowing as it was? Why bother adding unnecessary baggage when he was already weighed down? No, he was most certainly _not_ scared of _Katara_. Really, how scary could someone Toph referred to as 'Sugarqueen' _be_? With a reluctant sigh the outcast followed after the earthbender, dejectedly scowling at the ground.

"Stop being so down!" Sokka said with that smile Zuko wanted nothing more than to burn off his face, "We're going into the village! Don't you like buying things?"

"We're not wasting our money," Katara quipped, patting the pouch of coins hanging at her waist whilst giving Zuko a pointed look. As if _he_ was the one to suggest they go squandering what currency they still had at their disposal! He could only roll his eyes at the silent accusation, at the silent threat her own gaze posed. Honestly, did she think he'd go off to waste their money on petty luxuries? Just because he was a _prince_ (_was_ being the keyword) didn't mean he bathed in lavishness. How shallow did she think he was--?

--That was a question he would rather leave unanswered.

He stood awkwardly off to the side of the huddle of friends, craning his neck to catch a reflection anywhere, but being at the deserted Western Air Temple, there weren't many shiny things lying around in which he could get a glimpse of himself. But he was curious to see if his scar really was hidden…this was dangerous, after all, going out in public like they were (stupidly) about to do. Did these people not realize the risk they were about to take? Was Sokka so hungry as to gamble with their lives? Was Katara really so trusting of her brother to let him lead them to their imminent demise? Was Toph so blind as to not see what lay ahead? And was the Avatar really so dense as to overlook the tiny fact that _they were wanted people_?!

_Breathe…_the prince instructed of himself as the heat of something akin to rage swirled in his very core, rising and lashing inside him, a growing inferno fed by the utter ignorance that surrounded him. Zuko was much more like the element he controlled than he might realize. He was reckless and powerful and was capable of quite a bit of damage when out of control…but hey, what should the others care? It was just their _lives_ at stake here…

The gang of merry gents decided to deliberately ignore what Zuko had warned of them, ignore the impending _doom_ Sosin's comet would undoubtedly bring, and go for a nice friendly little outing in the nearest village seemingly unaffected by the war.

Zuko had to restrain from physically slapping a hand to his forehead.

_Idiots_.

"Oy, you coming, Flintzy?"

"_C'mon!_" Aang urged, practically leaping into the air and defying the laws of—oh wait, _gravity_ didn't apply to _air_benders. "The sooner we go the sooner we come back and the sooner I can whoop you in firebending!"

Zuko frowned at the hyperactive boy, muttering something intelligible under his breath that sounded vaguely along the lines of a threat, and Katara sent him a scathing glare. The prince fisted a hand – _Breathe, Zuko_ – and turned away from the girl's icy stare. He settled his gaze onto the ground once more, at the loose rubble beneath his sandals. _This is for a good cause,_ he reminded himself sternly, _this is for a __**good cause.**_ And she'd better be glad it was because if it wasn't Zuko would have pierced his hand through her stomach by now.

"Momo, you have to stay here with Appa, alright?" Aang ordered of his lemur. The animal made a noise from its throat, a sort of gurgling squeak (that Zuko couldn't help but note was much more pleasant to listen to than Katara's squawking) and flapped on over to the large bison who nudged the Avatar in an act of farewell. Aang laughed and patted Appa's side, "We'll be back soon!"

"Aren't we leaving yet?" Sokka drawled lazily, gesturing his head to the side, "Toph's getting impatient--"

A fist smacked him in the side, "_I'm_ getting impatient?"

Zuko tuned out their bickering at once, instead focusing on more importantf matters. Training sessions with the Avatar, for one. He reviewed the basics, the fundamentals, tactics and techniques – everything he was taught and then some. It was hard to remember the essentials of firebending when he bent so many of the rules himself…it was so long ago when he was taught, but he supposed that Aang would be a quick study. He was the _Avatar_, after all.

Aang glided up to the ravine's mouth, knotting a rope to a nearby tree and tossing it down over the edge. Zuko stood back, letting the others go first…this really seemed like such a _bad_ idea. His instincts told him over and over that this was bad, but apparently Sokka's instincts were more reliable than his own, because the doofus was grinning like a fool as he made to climb up the rope, urging a hesitant Toph ahead of him.

"What's the matter with you? Just climb up, geez, it's not that hard!"

At which a furious Toph retorted with, "I'm _blind_, snot-face!" Her hand reached out to find the rope as she grumbled about the idiot's lack of tact and how he just stood there behind her, watching her flail to find the stupid cable.

Katara rolled her eyes, resting a hand on her hip and opened her mouth to say something – which was a warning sign to Zuko. He _hated_ her voice and _hated_ when she spoke. He stepped forward, so as to stop whatever she was about to suggest, or critique (whenever she opened that flap of hers his patience always thinned, and right now, he couldn't risk her driving him around the bend.) "I'll carry you," Zuko offered of the blind earthbender.

Toph turned, giving him a _look_. "What?"

"I'll carry you, I don't mind."

There was a momentary silence amongst the four, broken by Aang's echoing yell.

"Did you guys all fall asleep or something? Come on, let's go!"

Toph wrinkled her nose, folding her arms stubbornly across her chest. "If you think I'm not capable of climbing up that rope myself then--"

"Did I say that?" Zuko countered sagely, "I just said I could carry you if you'd like."

Sokka chortled, "He was being a _gentleman_."

Zuko determinedly ignored Katara's scoff, "And here I thought chivalry was dead."

"I think I can manage." She replied as she (finally) found the end of the line. Toph firmly grasped the rope in her hand, tugging on it once, twice, before setting a foot against the vertical surface of the canyon wall. "But thanks for the offer. Snot-face over there couldn't even hand me this stupid thing."

Sokka scowled up at her small frame, following after the earthbender. "Well if you would have asked for help I would have helped you!" He defended adamantly. The pair continued their climb up the side of the gorge, voices resonating off the walls – snarky remarks and expected banter that Zuko could easily dismiss as white noise by then. Once they were safely at the top, he glanced expectantly at Katara, who was resolutely avoiding his gaze. She looked…flustered, annoyed, and Zuko scowled. What the _hell_ did he do _now_?

He might have apologized for doing something _wrong_, if he did anything wrong. But all he was doing was _breathing_ and he wasn't about to stop doing _that_ to appease the grudge-bearing waterbender! She confused him, Katara. She was a living migraine, and quite frankly, he had no idea how people could put up with her. Even as enemies she struck him as the compassionate and forgiving type, but she's proved him wrong. Oh so wrong. He's tried to be _nice_, tried to be _silent_, but no matter what he did or didn't do, she always stubbornly remained furious with him.

He surmised that he could always drop dead, but he didn't think Katara was worth it.

So Zuko resolved to try a different tactic – civility.

Charm.

_Chivalry._

"After you," he said, motioning for her to go ahead of him.

Judging by the cynical expression on the girl's face, one would think he asked her to drink poison. Really, did she think so ill of him that she was repulsed by his _kindness_? Katara didn't smile or give any other sign of thanks as she reached forward to take the rope into her hands. Her eyes, penetrating and _blue,_ reminded him where she was born and raised. Amongst the glaciers. Maybe they weren't taught manners in the south--?

"Thank you," she said stiffly, forcing the words past her lips, before hurriedly scaling up the cliff side.

Zuko would have been astounded if not for the icy tone of her voice that betrayed her lack of sincerity, and he scowled up at her back, following after the waterbender who was overdue for an attitude change – not that he was one to talk, but dammit did she make it hard for him to stay on the 'Good' side! She had a death wish - that was the only reasonable solution. Katara of the Water Tribe wanted to _die._ And she wanted Zuko to kill her, that was the only plausible explanation of her actions. Her annoying, frustrating, _immature_—

"Katara!"

Aang's familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts just when something firm fell onto his chest. Zuko gasped as the air was knocked out of him, the falling sensation overwhelming his gut before he was able to get a hold on the rope once more. He shot a glare up at Katara who was stricken in having missed a step. She clung to the rope for dear life, eyes following the sediments loosened from the ravine, down, down, into the depths below.

"Are you guys alright?" Aang called down to them.

"Yeah, fine," Zuko called back gruffly, frowning at the delay. "Hey--" she didn't use his name, he wouldn't use hers, "--you alright?"

Katara blinked, recalling herself, and returned his scowl, lifting a defiant chin. "Of course!" She snapped, "What makes you think I'm not? I'm perfectly fine."

The prince suppressed the impulse to set her clothes on fire. "Then would you mind going on? As much fun as hanging here between life and death is, I've really got better things to do."

She shot him a withering glare before steeling her nerves and continuing her trek up the rope. Stupid firebender and his stupid arrogance. She nearly fell to her death and all he could do was complain about it! Chauvinistic, insensitive poor excuse of a human. Katara was very much displeased, not only with him, but with herself. She put herself in that position, how could she have slipped? Really? Aang was probably worrying about her, Zuko's opinion that she was helpless and addle-headed was reinforced, and Sokka was probably blaming the whole fiasco on the firebender—

Alright, so the last part wasn't _so_ bad.

Nevertheless, as they reached the lip of the gorge and she had to struggle to right herself, turning to see an irritable Zuko dusting himself off, it was hard not to glare at his haughty scowl.

Chivalry was _so_ dead.

* * *

**So that was a bit of a long chapter wasn't it?  
Forgive any spelling/grammar errors  
I rushed through it and just posted it up once done**

**I wanted to get it out to you guys :D**

**Lol, I really didn't mean for it to be that long  
Actually, I cut it off…separated this chapter into two**

**The second part should come in a couple of days C:**

**Well thanks for reading, and reviews are, of course  
Very much appreciated :D**

**Hope you all liked!**

**(And thanks _so much_ to everyone's who's alerted/favorited this fic  
It's really such an ego-booster and very encouraging)**

* * *

**Chapter IV -- The Recent Ghosts** _**Excerpt**_

Sokka watched the duo from a fair enough distance, a knowing smirk glazing over his lips in amusement. He was well aware of Aang's feelings towards his sister, he might be a dunce when it came to emotions and girls, but he wasn't _stupid_ (alright, so what if a few blunt statements from Toph helped him reach his conclusion? It was the principle of the matter!)

"Wow, are Twinkletoes and Sugarqueen going at it or something? 'Cause they're both pretty excited - what's going on?"

Zuko tried not to gag at the mental images.


	4. The Recent Ghosts

**T**hanks so much to everyone who's been reading and reviewing, I definitely appreciate the feed-back (and the praise -shot-) it's very encouraging, really it is, and I am grateful for every review I get. I'm sorry I didn't get to reply to them this time around - I just wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible, so here it is and I hope you all ike it!

Oh, it was rushed, yes _rushed_ - moreso than the previous chapter, and I'm afraid I couldn't really get into it despite all that was happening. But I promise there is much in store plot-wise and quite a bit of character development still to be done. I apologize if some of it might seem OOC, it certainly struck _me_ as OOC D: but as I said, this chapter, for some inexplicable reason, was hard to get down on paper.

There is also some Kataang, but as I said, I want this to be a realistic merge of the actual Avatar series, and I think in canon it's implied that Katara does have feelings for Aang and such - but don't worry. This is definitely a Zutara, Lol.

Anyway, without further stalling, here's Chapter Four C:

* * *

**A C Q U I E S E N C E**

* * *

_Nevertheless, as they reached the lip of the gorge and she had to struggle to right herself, turning to see an irritable Zuko dusting himself off._

_It was hard not to glare._

_Chivalry was _so_ dead._

* * *

_**Chapter IV **_

**The Recent Ghosts**

* * *

**T**he village was small and secluded, with primitive huts and friendly-looking people. Katara scanned the area, walking at a quicker pace than her friends (and Zuko). Someone had to scope out the perimeters before letting the Avatar and a banished prince walk through the streets, after all. She still didn't think this was a very good idea, but Sokka insisted that they come. It was a risk, one that she doubted was worth their lives, but Aang agreed and she would travel to the ends of the earth with him - they all would. It was a special sort of friendship they shared, unbreakable bonds and trust. Katara felt her lips burn just a smidge at the little white lie. Yes, she would follow Aang to the ends of the earth, but blaming such devotion on mere friendship was evidently a false notion. What she didn't understand was, since _when_? When did she start seeing Aang as more than a friend? When did she admit to herself that despite their age difference (be it the one hundred years' gap or the measly two) Aang had burrowed himself into a special place in her heart? A place that no one else could reach, could even hope to find?

She inconspicuously brushed the back of her hand over her lips, tingling at the mere memory of his kiss. At how spontaneous yet welcome it was, at the sensations it sent reeling through her system, at how it felt so _right_ and comforting. Katara lowered her hand to her side, patting the pouch of coins tied about her waist. Thinking of Aang and his kiss was a distraction and when dealing with a dangerous situation it wasn't good to have distractions. She'd mull over what shift might be in their relationship later, maybe she could finally bring herself about to face Aang about it.

It was obvious that he's been wanting to talk to her, whether to apologize or perhaps try to advance their relationship, she had no idea - but the fact still remained that she's held off any conversation about the kiss and the potential that suddenly bloomed between them. Of course, she's known all along that Aang carried a torch for her - anyone with eyes could see that. What she didn't know was the extent of her own affections for him. It took a kiss, that sweet and sudden gesture, for her to realize that her feelings for Aang ran much deeper than she could have ever imagined.

And it was still a stirring thought, one that unsettled her and made her feel at home all the same - it was inexplicable...

"Hey, Katara!"

The waterbender paused, glancing around to find the inhabitant of her thoughts hastening to catch up. He wore a bandana and pulled a hood over his head to hide his arrows, but the fact that he was using their names was highly dangerous. She tugged his arm firmly, pulling him closer so as not to be overheard. "Be careful, Aang," she whispered, "You shouldn't shouting our names out like that. The Fire Nation are definitely out looking for us, remember?"

He gave her a sheepish grin, "Oh, right," and flushed a brilliant shade of red.

Katara hesitated for a moment, unsure of why his cheeks lit on fire. A shot at Zuko was ready at the tip of her tongue, but this rouge tint was not due to any sort of physical heat...and the waterbender's eyes widened just slightly before she loosened her grip on his wrist, eventually letting him go altogether. His arm swung away from her and she watched as it hung limply at his side. Heat was creeping slowly across her cheeks, she could feel it, and the girl turned away, letting out a cough to break the silence.

"Er, yeah," she prompted, "Just, be careful when you use our names."

Sokka watched the duo from a fair enough distance, a knowing smirk glazing over his lips in amusement. He was well aware of Aang's feelings towards his sister, he might be a dunce when it came to emotions and girls, but he wasn't _stupid_ (alright, so what if a few blunt statements from Toph helped him reach his conclusion? It was the principle of the matter!)

"Wow, are Twinkletoes and Sugarqueen going at it or something? 'Cause they're both pretty excited - what's going on?"

Zuko tried not to gag at the mental images.

Even Sokka couldn't seem to hide his apparent disgust with the thought of Aang and his _sister_--"Toph, I want you to promise me never to allude to anything like that ever again," he choked out, a grimace etched into his dark features. It was one thing to see and know a romance that was so obvious it might as well have socked him in the face, and it was another to know the _details_. Were there even details? Sokka told himself not to think about that and made a mental note of keeping a closer eye on his sister and best friend.

The earthbender beside him was laughing of course, "Their hearts are beating so fast, it's like they're reproducing like rabbits--!"

"Toph!"

His hand slapped itself over the girl's mouth and he scowled at her, into those haunting, translucent eyes. He glared at her for a long second, during which time seemed to just stop altogether. Toph's breathing was jagged against his palm, her lips pursed together, eyebrows furrowed to express her anger at his act. It hit him then that she couldn't _see_ his scathing glower. "Didn't I just tell you not to ever say anything like that?" Sokka asked.

"Since when do I listen to you?" Toph barely managed to mutter against his skin. Her own face was flushed now, a hint of color brighter than her skin-tone suggesting that either the weather was too hot or she was blushing, but the prospect of a blushing _Toph_ was so ridiculous that Sokka dismissed it at once.

He backed off, straightening himself up, "Do us all a favor and stop talking about my sister and Aang that way, will you?"

"Maybe you're the only one who has a problem with it--?" Toph challenged, but that was nipped in the bud by a pale Zuko who appeared to be recovering from seasickness.

"He's not," the prince supplied at once, thoroughly revolted by the subject at hand, "Can you just drop it?"

"_Thank you!_" Sokka proclaimed, "Stop talking about it!"

"Stop talking about what?" Katara voiced as she and Aang turned to greet the trio following behind. Her brother looked guilty at once and laughed, scratching the back of his head. It was clear that Sokka was not the lying type, Zuko rolled his eyes at the pathetic attempt. He almost felt bad for the swordsman.

"Um--I..."

In Sokka's fumbling reply, Toph opted to speak for him, "You and--"

But he only wrapped an arm around her so that her lips met the skin of his arm, and he chuckled as Toph flailed in his sleep hold. "Nothing, nothing at all, sis!" Sokka answered with a questionable smile.

Katara didn't look convinced (which wasn't at all surprising), but she let it go, dismissing the subject as irrelevant. It probably wasn't important, anyways. She smiled at a few passers-by who nodded in turn. The village was small and remote, did these people even know a war was going on? "Keep it down whatever you're talking about," she ordered, "we shouldn't be drawing attention to ourselves."

"Yeah, Toph," Sokka muttered, earning a stomp from the earthbender. He yelped, hopping on one foot and nursing the other, cursing under his breath.

"Alright guys, Katara's right, stop playing around," Aang piped up, "We're here for a reason." His eyes jumped over to Sokka who lowered his foot onto the ground and took a noticeable step away from the earthbender. "Right, Sokka?" The swordsman nodded in affirmation, and Aang clapped his hands together. "We should split up, it'll be less conspicuous."

Split up?

Zuko...rather liked the sound of that.

"Sokka, you have to go by yourself, don't you?" The Avatar queried, at which said warrior nodded.

"Remember to whistle if you're in trouble," Katara said quietly, eyeing her brother with a grim scowl. It was difficult to breathe, difficult not to call this entire plan off, but they were already in the village, being as obvious as can be...and besides, Sokka was determined to do this and she wouldn't stand in his way. He was the militant genius here, the tactician of their band. The gain was much too large not to go after, but even so, it was hard to think of what could happen if everything went wrong.

If _he_ was wrong.

Sokka gave his younger sibling a reassuring smile. "No need to worry about me," he said earnestly, "I'll be fine."

"You have your sword with you?" Chimed in the earthbender.

"Tucked underneath the robes," Sokka murmured.

Zuko was lost - what the _hell_ was going on here? Why did they need to split up? Why was Sokka going alone? Why did he need his sword and why would he be in any sort of trouble? "I don't think buying food would be too complicated," Zuko pointed out with cynicism that surpassed Toph's. "What's the worst that could happen? Getting the wrong change back?"

Katara shot him a scathing glare. "Mind your own business," she snapped.

"This _is_ my business!" The firebender insisted impatiently, his fingers curling into fists once more.

Toph's hand reached out to grab the cloth of his sleeve and she yanked him down to her height. "Just shut up and follow my lead, Flints," she demanded quietly, before letting him go. "I'll go with Sparky here," the girl offered, gesturing to him with an inclination of her head. "You two lovebirds," --a reprimanding cough came from Sokka's direction and was dully ignored-- "can go off on your own and Sokka can go about with his business fine and dandy, how's that?"

"That sounds good," Aang agreed at once, blushing just a little bit at the eagerness in his tone.

Zuko couldn't overlook the embarrassed but flattered expression on the waterbender's face and hid a scoff. "Fine, whatever, let's go," and he walked away without bothering to wait for the youngest of the group.

Toph quickened her speed to catch up with him and lifted her hands behind her head, walking in an easy gate to match his pace. "Is it just me or are you particularly annoyed with Aang and Katara?"

"I'm annoyed with everyone," the prince deadpanned.

"I mean _especially_ annoyed," Toph amended knowingly.

Zuko groaned inwardly - maybe he should have gone with the Avatar? He opted not to answer, instead leaving the girl in silence. She was bearable when her mouth was shut.

But Toph wasn't so accommodating. "So I bet you're wondering just what we're doing here, aren't'cha?" She baited, and this time she was much more successful. Zuko peered over at his companion, a girl shorter than himself, younger than himself, but just as skilled a bender. A grin laced her lips at his curiosity, his heartbeat revealed all. "You've figured out by now it's not really for food."

"Hn," the fire prince grunted noncommittally. Of course he had! He wasn't stupid.

"Well...I can't tell you," she said simply. Zuko was about to go on a tirade about how she couldn't just let him on like that to shut him down, but it seemed Toph wasn't finished. The earthbender shrugged, staring straight ahead of her into nothing and yet everything all the same. She led them through the village and Zuko was amazed with her enhanced sense of direction and feeling (though he would never admit it). "Not yet, anyway," Toph elaborated, "Not until I'm sure."

_Sure about what?_ Zuko was desperate to ask, but he kept silent, "I see." And he did. Being a (former) prince, he understood the concept of confidentialities and working on a need-to-know basis. Though that didn't ease the irritation he felt - he's been with these people for about a week, he's been training the Avatar in firebending, but he supposed that wasn't good enough to fully earn their trust, and he could bear no grudge against their decision to keep him in the dark.

"You really surprised me, you know," Toph ventured.

"Oh?" Zuko replied disinterestedly.

She nodded, taking idle steps towards nowhere in particular. "I thought you'd be some arrogant brat, to be honest. You're not _so_ bad. I mean, you're pretty bad, but nothing we can't handle."

How was he to answer that?

Toph laughed then, shaking her head. "You need to stop trying so hard to impress us, believe me, we know what you can do. We're already impressed--"

"I'm not trying to impress anyone," Zuko's voice was soft but determined, "I'm trying to help the Avatar."

* * *

Just a quick glance. Their eyes meet, then looked away, twin blushes crossed their cheeks. Such was the procedure of what most would classify as young love, and where such things were concerned, this was the youngest and the strongest the village had ever witnessed. Men and women, young and old, were smiling so encouragingly at the pair that Katara couldn't help but direct her gaze shyly to the ground disappearing beneath their feet at a snail's pace. Aang trekked beside her, just as awkwardly returning the friendly smiles, but otherwise saying nothing. They walked in what would have been a comfortable silence had it not been for Sokka's bid of farewell. Katara made a mental note of pummeling him later. Was his _You kids better behave!_ really necessary?

"So..." Aang spoke up, fidgeting with his hands, "How did you sleep last night?"

Katara looked his way, giving him an amused smile. He always asked that question when he didn't know what to say, whenever there was an awkward tension between them - except this wasn't tension, it was something new and exciting. She shrugged, trying to keep from letting her smile get any larger. "Fine," the waterbender answered simply, "And you?"

"Well, really well," he replied eagerly.

Another passing silence.

"Look Katara--"

"--Aang--"

They blinked at the simultaneous outburst before continuing with a unified, "Oh, no, you go first," and a predictable laugh. Katara shook her head, tucking back a strand of her hair behind her ear and stopped walking in the middle of what seemed to be a bazaar. "What was it that you were saying?" She opened, looking at her counterpart expectantly.

Aang took one glance at her face, at the way her crystalline eyes were so sincere and beautiful and light, at the way her skin was dark and unblemished - oh so soft - at the way the thick waves of her hair framed her face, the way her lips curled into that wonderful smile...

And totally lost his nerve.

"I...I forgot," he stammered, avoiding her eyes and cursing himself inwardly for backing out. But how was one to declare his love for a girl that was the very essence of perfection and beauty? It only bothered him all the more that he _shouldn't_ be proclaiming his love for her, but that couldn't be helped. He couldn't force himself to _not_ love someone, just as he couldn't force himself _to_ love someone.

Emotions were emotions, something not to be tampered with.

Something so sacred that not even the elements could alter their course.

"Aang...about that--"

"Well if it ain't Sugarqueen and Twinkletoes!" Toph called over, laughing to herself as if enjoying her own private joke. Their heartbeats were pounding rapidly, the vibrations loud and clear through the mostly healed soles of her feet. "What're you guys up to?"

"Nothing!"

The Avatar was evidently not one for lying either.

Zuko would have preferred to stay apart from the rest of the group, even if that meant putting up with Toph's snide remarks and teases. He let his attention drift from the duo who looked much too guilty to have been up to 'nothing' (not that he _cared_) and spanned the area around them with a lazy gaze. His golden eyes perceived nothing of great importance or interest - nothing that is, until they rounded over the shadowed face of a young woman sitting by herself at a nearby gate. The prince scowled at her - he was certain she had been watching them. She was a curious attraction in this quaint little village (with far less to do than there was at the air temple) but it wasn't her mere existence that intrigued Zuko, oh no, it was the fact that she seemed so interested in _them_.

And why should she be? They were nothing more than a band of travelers passing through. Or so they claimed. What reason did she have not to believe them? The moment he spotted her she dared not spare a glance, and Zuko looked in the opposite direction, eyeing the glass figurines a vendor was selling.

Waiting, waiting - aha!

Her reflection turned to watch them once more and this time Zuko walked off, away from the group, down the road as if headed for where they came.

"Hey Flintzy, where ya headed?"

Zuko only ducked beneath his flattened hair, making sure that his scar was fully covered, and waved a lazy hand back at the trio. "I'll be back," he answered impassively.

* * *

Sokka wandered through the dirt roads, past the charming huts and the small families watching him pass by. He smiled at them, and they returned the affable gesture with smiles of their own, genuine _human_ expressions that weren't practiced or deceiving. These people were so content, seemingly unaware of the encroaching war, of the Fire Nation's intent and growing power. It hurt him to even think of how they might react when the first of many attacks finally reaches their isolated haven. He made sure to keep an even pace so as not to promote suspicion as he waltzed right up to what could be seen as the smallest hut of the cluster.

"Um, excuse me," Sokka began tentatively, feeling quite stupid talking to no one in particular.

"Who goes?" The voice of an elderly man emerged from the hut, but the door didn't open.

He jumped at the sudden bark. Despite the tremors of old age in the man's tone, his voice was still commanding and, somehow, intimidating. Full of authority that was not to be questioned. Sokka cleared his throat, suddenly feeling incredibly silly and insignificant, but his hand felt the hilt of his precious sword through the robes, and he nodded at the entryway. " 'The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all.' " He recited confidently, quietly.

There was a hesitance within the hut before the curtain was pushed aside and the smiling face of a man Sokka didn't know greeted the young warrior. The man appeared friendly enough, his smile was wide, years of hard work and experience carved into his pale face. His hair was thinning but still dark, and even through his clothes Sokka could tell he was physically fit, especially for an old geezer.

The elderly man let out a booming chuckle, "A pupil of Piandao's, eh?"

* * *

Zuko slipped into the small clustered crowd, walking with haste and making his way around the village so as to catch the hooded girl off-guard. He cut through the stands, past the huts, and found her already on the run. She was aware of him, was she? Well...that was all fine and dandy, it didn't matter. The prince followed after her, trying to remain inconspicuous, until she broke into a run. And the chase began. He left his group, left Aang and Katara and Toph and Sokka (wherever that guy was) to hunt down this girl who could be a potential danger to them (and probably was, considering her obvious attempt at escape). Zuko could capture her easily, if he was allowed to bend...but that would risk blowing their (already poor) cover. They were still in the village and there were too many civilians around to witness it. The only viable choice was to follow her until they were at a safe enough distance for him to firebend. But she had other plans in mind.

A slender hand lifted out from beneath her cloak and shurikenjutsu came soaring at him, thin and long, catching the light and flashing with an almost teasing glint. Zuko dodged the needles with relative ease, but his eyes narrowed at the figure up ahead who only quickened her pace. Well, if she found it fitting to resort to offense, then it was only fair for him to as well. She drew the playing field - screw covers, their cover was already blown anyway. Someone knew and this someone could very well be the hair's difference between life and death, balance and chaos.

Zuko rushed after her, conjuring a flame in the palm of his hand and firing it at the cloaked form. She stumbled, immediately throwing off the robe, but he caught up with her then and stood in her way, blocking her route of escape. His dark locks were brushed away from his face, revealing him as the banished prince, but it didn't matter - she knew all along who he was.

"What are you doing here, Mai?"

The pale girl stood there, her bored expression decorating her features. She didn't appear at all distressed in being caught, nor did she show any signs of sorrow or anger or any emotion whatsoever. What did she think of him? Did she hate him for leaving? Did she want to kill him? Did she...possibly still love him? It was a challenge not to feel anything for her, not to want to be with her, to reach out and hold her, to feel her lips and hear her voice. He had to remain vigilant, had to remain stoic. They stood on different sides of the boundary now. They were enemies.

"Where's Azula?" He demanded, willing himself to sound angry, threatening.

She didn't answer and only stared at him, her cloak burning between them, the blazes leaping and dancing, as if drawing them both towards it, together. But no, that was over, they were over. He ended it when he up and left. The girl reached into her robes.

"Mai--"

She stepped back and hands grabbed at his arms, pinning them down. A sack was violently thrown over his head, casting him into a familiar and unsettling darkness. "What--get off!" He growled, struggling against the strong holds, "Let go! What's going on?" A blunt object rammed into the back of his head and for a moment everything spun. He stumbled, the hands caught him, holding him still, and he grasped on to the vestiges of consciousness, but to no avail. He was spiraling, spiraling--

"Don't worry, Zuko, everything will be fine."

--And then there was nothing.

* * *

**And there is this chapter, unfortunately, I'm not sure when I can update next  
Depending on how the week rolls by and with homework and such**

**I'll try to update soon, by Friday most definitely.**

**On another Note: If you have no idea what's going on in the village  
Good! Lol, you're not supposed to. ;D**

**Everything will be revealed in the next chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter V -- Tea Leaves and Tiles _Excerpt_**

"What is this, some kind of sick joke?"

Katara gave him a severe look, one that told him to _shut up_ lest they get _killed_. But she said nothing, letting her eyes drift around the dark chamber. She would never have guessed that the peaceful and quaint little village would have such dungeons - what did these people possibly need _prisons_ for? "Why don't you make yourself useful and get some more light in here?" She suggested, lifting up a hand to brush against the cool walls of their cell.

The prince grimaced as he struggled to sit up, numbly touching the back of his head. "Oh yeah, I'm _fine_. Appreciate your concern."


	5. Tea Leaves and Tiles

**THANKS** to everyone who's read and reviewed and added this to the favorites/alerts list C: I love you all and endlessly appreciate the support. This chapter is shorter than I anticipated, and if you're still confused by the end of it, I'm sorry. I'm still working out the finer details of this particular plot turn. Please don't get on my case about pairings implied in this chapter, as I said before, I'm trying to make it as seemingly-canon as possible, though some betrayals and deceits are probably totally un-canon (-fail-) Anyway, I assure you (again) that this is Zutara. So no worries C: Just sit back, enjoy, and then gush/rant/express your opinions about it in the end. In the form of a review. -/subtle hint- :D

* * *

**A C Q U I E S E N C E**

* * *

_A blunt object rammed into the back of his head and for a moment everything spun. He stumbled, the hands caught him, holding him still, and he grasped on to the vestiges of consciousness, but to no avail. He was spiraling, spiraling--_

_"Don't worry, Zuko, everything will be fine."_

_--And then there was nothing._

* * *

**_Chapter V _**

**Tea Leaves and Tiles**

* * *

**S**o…you're a bunch of old guys from all over the world who like to gamble?" Sokka concluded as he set down his tea. The cup was empty, the tea leaves forming some sort of clumped mass on the bottom, but he took no mind to it. After the incident with Aunt Wu, he's expressed particular irritation with the mystic arts – including tea-leaf reading.

He sat at a relatively small wooden table, nothing but a cushion separating his rear from the dirt ground. The old man who welcomed him into the hut (an esteemed former Admiral Jin of the Earthbender Army) sat across from him and slapped a hand over his forehead releasing a restrained sigh. "Something like that," he said flatly at the younger male's degradation of their entire underground system. "But we're not just old guys, you know."

Sokka laughed, pointing past him at the matron of the hut – his wife. "Well obviously, there're old ladies, too."

Jin wondered just what Piandao saw in this kid.

The Watertribe warrior prodded his temple, giving the former Admiral what must have been a smug look. "Can't get anything past me, old man."

"…Right." Jin answered cynically. He contemplated just letting this poor excuse of a diplomat run along, but Piandao spoke of him with great esteem – and that old Fire Nation legend rarely _ever_ spoke of _anyone_ with such regard. He _did_ mention that Sokka was unconventional. "Here's the deal—Sokka, is it?—Piandao gave you a parting gift, did he tell you the significance of it?" A short moment then, "Do you even remember what it was?"

Sokka scoffed, lifting a defiant chin into the air, "Of course I do!" He dug in the pouch hanging around his waist, scrunching up his face as he searched through the contents. "No, that's not it…no, no," he flashed the elderly male a nervous smile, "Uh—one sec," and proceeded to dig through the pack, muttering under his breath. "It's got to be here _somewhere_…I put it here…I saw it two weeks ago and—"

Jin groaned inwardly, turning around to look at his wife who only shrugged as she prepared the tea.

"—Found it!" Sokka exclaimed, making the elder male jump in alarm. "Here it is, a Pai Sho tile!" And he waved it in the air, beaming at the Admiral.

Jin inspected the tile, eyeing the white lotus, and nodded. "Good, now do you know what it is?"

"Uh…" Sokka blinked, "A Pai Sho tile."

"No, do you know what it represents?"

"A White Lotus?"

"And what does the White Lotus represent?"

Sokka gave this man a look that plainly said, _Are you stupid?_ "Hey, Master Piandao never said anything about a lesson in botany."

Jin's palm met his forehead. What could Piandao have been _thinking_?

"Why don't you just tell him, dear?" The Admiral's wife interjected gently, giving Sokka a pitying glance. "He seems…a bit dense."

Sokka scowled as Jin waved her suggestion aside. "I can't just _tell_ him. He has to figure it out himself," the man explained impatiently, looking over at the warrior. "Do you know anything about the White Lotus?" He asked curiously. No boy in possession of such a tile should be completely clueless as to its meaning. The Pai Sho tile was an extremely significant symbol that promised protection, unity, peace and brotherhood. Surely this Sokka wasn't as dull-witted as he came off to be…

"Pfft—Of course I do!" The boy insisted, offering the Admiral the beginnings of relief, "The White Lotus is a flower that grows from the murky depths of a swamp up towards the sunlight. I learned about those when we were with the Foggy Swamp tribe in the Earth Kingdom."

" 'We?' " Jin asked curiously, having barely recovered from his initial disappointment.

Sokka nodded, "Yeah. I travel in a group with the Avatar."

The Admiral's wife looked shocked and stiffened at her post by the kitchen sink. Unmistakable fear crossed her features and she rushed to her husband's side, resting a frail hand on his arm. "Jin…" She opened in a low voice, trembling and unsure.

"I know, I know," he said in a hushed whisper, eyes darting to the hut's entrance. "Get everyone to the underground cellar—I'll go find his friends." Jin stood from the table, preparing to leave, but his wife grabbed hold of his wrist. He turned to her, offering an arrogant smile. "Don't worry, Chun, I'll come back."

Chun gave a weak smile, "You always come back."

He nodded, placing the most delicate of kisses against her temple, before striding outside of the hut.

Sokka blinked after him and then turned back to the Admiral's wife.

"So! How about that tea?"

* * *

"_I don't hate _you_."_

_Zuko gave her an affectionate smile, letting his lips curve up at the sight of her sitting there beside him, looking so beautiful and serene, and inclined his head just barely so that his lips brushed against the corner of her eye, "I don't hate you, too…" he confessed intimately, letting down any and all barriers for her, just for her and this moment and them now. With no interruptions, nothing to stress on his mind._

_Their mouths met and it was like a scene taken from a romance novel. The sun was warm, just setting over the horizon, and the wind was light and gentle. Her lips were so soft and welcoming that Zuko couldn't help but tilt his mouth over hers. He loved her response, loved the way she hated everything (except him) and the way she kissed him, the way she helped make all the hurt go away. The way she helped him forget, or at least provided a temporary solace. She relieved his nightmares, his worries, and replaced it with nothing short of heaven…_

_His eyes drifted open as their kiss broke apart, and Zuko gave the girl, the dark haired, porcelain doll of his, an adoring smile, "Mai—"_

_Just as she struck him down with one of his Dao swords._

The prince let out a strangled gasp, eyes shooting open at the nightmare. His hand clasped at the front of his shirt, against his chest where the sword purged straight through to protrude from his back. But there was no wound, nothing visible to the eye. No blood or pain – no nothing. Zuko glared into the darkness, his breathing harsh, absolutely bewildered for only a moment – and then his memory came rushing back, mind spinning with the flood of realization:

Mai captured him.

_Mai_ captured him. And where there was Mai there was bound to be Azula. He was captured here in this quaint little village that was seemingly unaffected by the war, but he should have known better. There was no such place that was free of the turmoil the Fire Nation brought with it. He wondered if the others were alright – Aang and Sokka and Toph and even that annoying waterbender whose name he refused to think.

A ruffling not too far off caught his attention and the firebender turned his head towards it, seeing only an unfamiliar silhouette. Female, if the feminine voice that was muttering swear words was any indication. Zuko peered at her, suddenly very annoyed with the circumstances. A quick check told him that his weapons were still at hand, and aside from the initial blow to the head he was relatively unharmed. None of it made any sense, and in accordance, neither did his earlier theory.

So he opted to speak and found that his voice echoed along the walls, "What is this, some kind of sick joke?"

Katara gave him a severe look, one that told him to _shut up_ lest they get _killed_. But she said nothing, letting her eyes drift around the dark chamber. She would never have guessed that the peaceful and quaint little village would have such dungeons - what did these people possibly need _prisons_ for? "Why don't you make yourself useful and get some more light in here?" She suggested, lifting up a hand to brush against the cool walls of their cell.

The prince grimaced as he struggled to sit up, numbly touching the back of his head. "Oh yeah, I'm _fine_. Appreciate your concern."

"Oh stop it, I know you're fine. I healed you already."

"_Thank_ you," he said trying to sound sincere, but it was hard with the way she spoke to him. Impatient and annoyed, as if it was his fault they were locked up here in the first place! And maybe it was, but that was beside the point. "Where…where are we?"

Katara scoffed, letting her hand drop from the stone wall, "In a cellar."

He could detect the underlying message of _'duh'_ in her tone and did _not_ appreciate it. "I was just wondering," he grunted irritably, massaging the back of his head. His hair was the slightest bit damp there, from either blood or the healing water – though he was quite certain it was the latter. "How long have I been out?"

The bender shrugged, muttering something under her breath that sounded much like, "Not long enough."

"What the _hell_ is your problem?" He demanded adamantly, glaring full-on at the nuisance.

"Nothing, what makes you think I have a problem?"

"You just seem the slightest bit annoyed."

"Oh, now why would I be?" Katara whispered sardonically, "I love being kidnapped and tossed into dark, underground prison cells. It's all the rage in the South Pole. Practically a rite of passage."

Zuko rolled his eyes, brushing his hair from his face. Her cheek was doing nothing to ease the situation – which he still hadn't gotten a full grasp on – nor did it help to placate his simmering mood. "What is it with you?" He shot irritably, giving her a downright glare that fell onto blind eyes, "All you ever give me is sarcasm and contempt."

The waterbender glanced at his figure in the dark, frowning though he couldn't see it. "Sarcasm and contempt…you should be so lucky to get even that." And she meant it. He's put her through nothing but torment for all of these months – he's been hunting them down, trying to dispose of her best friend. She's suffered his hatred, his power, his trust and betrayal. He's been the cause of Aang's struggling. He was the cause of her mother's demise, he was the cause of all the evil in the world – he probably enjoyed kicking turtle-ducks for all she knew. He hurt Aang and on countless occasions deterred Aang's mastery of the elements – what did he expect from her? To welcome him into the group with arms wide open?

(Of course, Katara pointedly forgot everything he's done to _help_ Aang.)

Zuko decided that it would be best not to speak anymore, clearly the conversation would go nowhere, and so conjured up a flame to chase the shadows away.

They were in what appeared to be an underground chamber. The walls were of stone and a little damp, meaning there was a water source nearby. He wondered why Katara hadn't bent their way out of here (or at least, bent _her_self out of here, because surely she would have left _him_ behind – _"Zuko was down there? Oh! I didn't see, it was so dark…"_) and was about to ask (despite what biting retort might come his way) when she, very unexpectedly, broke the silence first.

"Who's Mai?"

* * *

A knock on the door distracted him from the meeting and the former general glanced up at the intrusion. An elderly woman with kind eyes opened the door, tentatively poking her head through the threshold, almost afraid. He smiled at her, wearing a most welcoming expression, and nodded, gesturing for the woman to enter. "Ah, Chun, have you come to bring us more tea?"

She shook her head, fingers rasping lightly against the edge of the door. Her pale eyes scanned the dimly lit room, the small cluster of men and women disrupted from their discussion, and lowered her voice as if concerned the walls might hear. "I'm afraid, General, that we may be under surveillance," she revealed, her kind features expressing utmost distress.

Her words sprung about a series of murmurs, and the man silenced them with a single raise of his hand. "Lady Chun, what gives you reason to suspect such a thing?" The general asked calmly, not moving from his seat at the table.

The woman was about to speak, when a young man squeezed past her to face the room of vigilantes. He wore multiple layers (odd, considering the summer season) and appeared a little disheveled. Nevertheless, his face conveyed a sarcastic sort of wit that managed to make the general chuckle.

"You know, if you guys had told me what the White Lotus was from the beginning, none of this would have happened."

"If they told you from the beginning what this society was, they'd endanger its discovery," piped up a small girl, spooking the warrior. She gave Sokka a lopsided smile, folding her arms across her chest. "What, did you expect me to stay in that dark cell all day?"

Chun looked at the seemingly blind child. "How…how did you escape?"

"How did you know it was dark?"

"I'm _blind_, everything's dark," the bender said poignantly. She gave a careless shrug then, lifting her hands behind her head in a most casual manner as she turned towards the startled Chun. "And I'm an earthbender. Or did Snoozles here forget to tell you?"

"I was trying to keep a low profile for our group!—_Snoozles? _Since when am I _Snoozles_?" Sokka inquired, losing sight of just what they were discussing.

The girl laughed, making a face that expressed her superiority. "Since I decided that Snot-face was getting old."

"And that's another thing! How did I become Snot-face—?"

"If you don't mind my disruption," the general cut in affably, standing from the table and giving the duo a pleasant smile, "I think we have more important matters to discuss at the moment, don't you?" Both Sokka and Toph dropped their antics, nodding submissively at the older man. "You may continue this argument of nicknames and such at a more appropriate date, perhaps when your lives are not in danger."

The voice of a young female drew Sokka's attention to a girl sporting long dark hair and a characterized scowl. He couldn't shake off the fact that she looked increasingly familiar.

"General," she said sharply albeit quietly, "If we are to discuss this with these two in attendance, shall I retrieve the remaining three?"

He nodded to her, offering a gracious smile, "As anxious as I know you must be to see my nephew, I must ask you to be patient. We are still unsure of the safety of this hut and the discovery of our society would—"

"I know," Mai retorted, lowering her head to hide an invariable scowl. "I was thinking of the _Avatar_."

The Dragon of the West only chuckled, "Of course, my apologies."

"Twinkletoes won't be too happy being locked up," Toph pointed out.

"But he is in danger, we must keep him safe," another young female began, only to be cut off by Sokka.

"If we are in danger, don't you think having the Avatar on our side would be an _advantage_?"

Iroh smiled pleasantly, nodding to Mai. "I suppose it would be best to have the Avatar in attendance. Retrieve the others, will you? Boy and girl, come join our table, and Miss Chun—?"

The older woman jumped in being addressed. "Yes, General Iroh?"

"How about some tea?"

* * *

Zuko stiffened, at a loss for words. How did she know that name? Why would she ask him who Mai was? Had he been talking in his sleep? What did he say? The prince frowned, taming the flame in his hand that jumped and spluttered at the mention of the girl who betrayed him. "Someone from the Fire Nation," he answered roughly, in a notably sour mood. Mai's voice was the last one he heard before blacking out. What was it that she said in that wonderfully familiar voice of hers...?

_"Don't worry, Zuko, everything will be fine."_

Well this was all fine and dandy, now wasn't it? Trapped in a chamber with the person who probably hated him most in the world. Just _wonderful_, this.

Katara didn't miss the sudden strain in his voice, the way he spat out his reply, the way the subject seemed to get under his skin. She didn't know how to answer and remained silent. The fire in his hand roared with the query, and she was afraid that Zuko might lose temper and through that lose control. Given, she had water sources nearby; she wasn't too inclined on battling him in this restricted cell. Besides, too much noise would attract anyone who might raid the hut.

They had to stay quiet.

"Why?"

Her eyes jumped to his form, hunched over and leaning back along the wall, almost tired. He wasn't looking at her, eyes focused on the spread of dark stone between his feet. Katara shifted her position, feeling her leg fall asleep, and lifted a single shoulder. "You were saying her name in your sleep."

Zuko was silent after that, and she glanced at him, worried. It wasn't like him to be so quiet, to let this stretch of time go undisturbed. He was always trying to make amends with her, but now…now he seemed much too lost in his own world. It was unsettling, his ignoring her.

"We're being kept here for our own safety," Katara explained lightly, "Apparently we were followed into this village and—"

"By Azula." Zuko confirmed, tightening his free hand into a fist. He made sure to keep the blaze even so as not to startle the waterbender again (no, he didn't miss her reaction earlier when he let the fire rise), but mentally cursed his younger sister. That explained what Mai was doing here…but if they were tossed into this chamber for their own _safety_, then did that mean Aang and the others had to rescue him?

The prince frowned at the thought. How humiliating.

"Well I don't know," Katara admitted, fidgeting on the ground. Azula hadn't really crossed her mind, from what she's heard, there was no mention of firebenders or the Fire Nation at all, but with their empire growing, she should have made the connections herself. Even so, the admiral would have known… "Jin said—"

"Jin?" Zuko inquired suddenly, breaking the heightening sense of doom.

Katara nodded, "Admiral Jin," —_Ah, not that girl from Ba Sing Se_— "said that this village is rarely ever disturbed by war and is a great location for one of the organization's headquarters. But apparently we were followed here and someone is trying to uncover their society."

"What society?" He implored.

In that moment, light flooded into the cell and both captives looked to the door where Aang stood. "Here you are!" He said with relief, gesturing for them to get up, "I've been looking everywhere for you! Come on, we have to find Sokka and Toph. We have to help, something's wrong, we've been followed."

Katara picked herself up at once, rushing to the Avatar's side. "Aang! You're supposed to stay in your cell, it's dangerous out—"

"Katara, I've let people down once, I'm not about to let them down again," the boy said evenly, looking at her with a seriousness and maturity that reflected wisdom beyond his years. She nodded, giving him a smile, and Aang brightened up the slightest bit knowing she was safe. "Come on, we have to go."

Zuko was up without needing any prompt, but dutifully ignored the short exchange between friends. It was none of his business whether or not Katara smiled at Aang, or whether the Avatar returned it. What did it matter to him? The trio left the dungeon and turned a corner, only to find a disinterested Mai standing in the narrow tunnel, wearing an expression of absolute boredom (and maybe a hint of scorn). She took one look at the three and turned on her heel, already walking the other way, presumably from where she came, grumbling all the while,

"I _told_ him that the Avatar couldn't be held in a stupid chamber, but _no_. He insisted that the kid would stay put…how could he expect him to stay there if that earthbender escaped—?"

Before either Katara or Aang could do anything, Zuko released a fire-blast at the girl's retreating back.

One that Mai just narrowly dodged – though a part of her anticipated it. She spun around, skidding along the stone floor and lifted her hands, reaching into the sleeves of her robes. "I'm not here to fight, Zuko," she said emphatically. "Don't waste your effort."

"Where's Azula?" The prince demanded, taking a threatening step towards her.

Mai's expression didn't change, neither did her posture. "Not here."

"Where _is_ she, then?"

"I don't know."

"Liar!" Zuko declared, sending another blast her way.

Katara intercepted the attack, protecting Mai before a shield of water. "What do you think you're doing? She's leading us out of here!"

But the fire prince would not be allayed. "Do you know who she is?" He spat angrily, "She's Azula's right-hand puppet! She's the one who knocked me out! She's from the Fire Nation!"

Mai blinked at his proclamations, seemingly unfazed, and settled her eyes on the waterbender.

"I'm his ex-girlfriend."

* * *

**Chapter VI -- Unbalancing Act _Excerpt_**

"Stop looking at me as if I'm the one who stormed your home and slaughtered your parents!"

Jing-Wei's mouth fell open and she sat there, stunned, before finally standing and storming out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Now look what you've done," an older woman scolded, "You need to learn when to hold that tongue of yours, Mazo – or else I'll just have to cut it off for you."

He met her glower, lifting a defiant chin, "She's the one acting as if I'm the cause of everything that's happened to her home. I'm part of this society, aren't I? I'm here, I do my part, why can't she just accept that I'm not the enemy?"

"You have to understand, Mazo," the general answered, "that when wounds heal, they still leave painful scars. It does not help when you remind her of the ones that mar her lifetime."

Zuko glared at his uncle.

How was it that even when speaking to someone else, the old man still found means to lecture him?


	6. Unbalancing Act

**HERE** is the next chapter C: I think it's a bit shorter than I wanted, but I had to end it where I did. I don't think it's much of a cliff-hanger, but it felt like the only spot I could cut it off, or else the chapter would go on another 2000 words or so. And I didn't feel like doing _that_ XP Anywho, there are a couple of OC's introduced here. Don't worry, none of them will be romantically affiliated with any canon characters, they're there because well...I needed White Lotus people :D Aside from Iroh. Um...this chapter's..._different_ from the others, I think, in terms of what actually happens, Lol. Vague, aren't I?

**THANKS** _so much_ to everyone who's freviewed! You guys are _amazing_, seriously, I love you. I'm so glad you all enjoyed the ending of the last chapter xD haha I thought you'd appreciate some blunt humor. This chapter deviates from that, though, and for those who still have questions at the end of this chapter as to what happens...don't worry. I haven't conveniently forgotten about anyone or anything, it'll all be answered C: I hope. And if it's not, then I _fail_ DD: Lol uhm...what else did I have to say. I'm not sure, but here it is, hope it's alright, don't think it's my best...(action is _not_ my forte) but hopefully it's good enough to keep you guys from abandoning me D: Lol -lovesyouall-

**OH **and I'd love it if you guys could also check out my other Zutara fic, _Sokka's Field Guide_. Most of you already do I think, but I'm considering making them sort of hand-in-hand. As in, _Sokka's Field Guide_ would be the cute fluffy scenes and such that actually don't have a _place_ in this fic, but could still have happened. -pondering it-

* * *

****

A C Q U I E S E N C E

* * *

_Katara intercepted the attack, protecting Mai before a shield of water. "What do you think you're doing? She's leading us out of here!"_

_But the fire prince would not be allayed. "Do you know who she is?" He spat angrily, "She's Azula's right-hand puppet! She's the one who knocked me out! She's from the Fire Nation!"_

_Mai blinked at his proclamations, seemingly unfazed, and settled her eyes on the waterbender. _

"_I'm his ex-girlfriend."_

* * *

**_Chapter VI _**

**Unbalancing Act**

* * *

**E**veryone was gathered about the meeting room, the secret chamber beneath the earth. Only flickering torches lit the meeting place, casting estranged shadows across the dirt walls. Iroh sat at the head of the circular table, wise and aged eyes scanning over the quartet who had just arrived. A rather dismal Mai whose face was the slightest bit flushed, an irate and tense waterbender, a concerned airbender, and last but not least, the mule bringing up the rear – a sulking and inwardly seething Fire Prince sporting drenched clothes and a contemptuous glare.

Iroh could only imagine what must have happened, but found the thought of it amusing. His nephew never was one to handle women…whether they be ill-mannered, polite, or completely oblivious, the end result was always the same: both he and any female would be scowling by the end. The group took their respective seats at the four remaining chairs — Aang taking a seat beside a grinning Toph, Katara settling down to Aang's left, Zuko situating himself (reluctantly and after a moment of silent debate) a chair away from Katara, leaving the seat between the duo for Mai — and the general nodded.

"I understand that all of this might be sudden for some of you—"

"Sudden?" Sokka piped up sarcastically, giving the tea monger a pointed look, "Oh, no. I was totally expecting that the Pai Sho tile Master Piandao gave me was actually a key into a secret society and that coming to this village would lead me to you all—"

An elbow firmly lodged itself into his side, but Toph betrayed no movement otherwise. "Shut up," she snapped impatiently, "Let the old man talk."

The warrior scowled at the girl beside him and nursed the coming bruise on his ribcage. "No need for violence, geez," he muttered, earning a sound punch from the earthbender. "OK, OK!" Sokka exclaimed, shifting his chair away from her, "I'm done."

Katara shook her head, letting a sigh escape her lips, and directed her words to the general. "What exactly is going on?" She demanded to know, fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat. There was something about Mai, perhaps in the way she scowled or appeared so disinterested in everything, that greatly unnerved her. Almost as if she was here for the sake of keeping up appearances…

Even her voice was monotonous and unfeeling. "Isn't it obvious? This village is under attack."

"That's not what I meant," the waterbender replied, "What are we doing here. Why did you bring us here?"

"_I_ didn't bring you here."

"I wasn't asking _you_."

Mai turned her impassive gaze onto the girl at her right, "I'm sorry, I mistook your attention for actually addressing _me_." A note of sarcasm lacquered her words, sarcasm that Katara neither missed nor appreciated.

"Stop it," a young male interjected. Both the girls' eyes jumped to a ragged-looking warrior dressed in red, with long dark hair and a toothpick protruding from between his lips. He held a painfully striking resemblance to someone Katara refused to think about, especially with how he spoke around the twig, lips forming the words ease. "This bickering isn't getting us anywhere."

Another young woman sporting a green gem on her forehead scowled, landing her palm flat down onto the table. "Butt out of other people's business, Mazo, no one asked you."

"Look at the platypus bear calling the saber-toothed mooselion vicious," He countered.

Clearly these two did not get along.

The woman stood from her seat, taking on an offensive stance, "All right, that's it, I've had it with you, Fire Nation _scum_!"

Mazo only raised his brows at her, playing it calm, cool, collected. "Easy, Sparowkeet," he drawled out, tilting his chair back onto its hind legs, "Now's hardly the time to be picking fights."

The bender's eyes flared, "The name's Jing-_Wei_!" And the table roared up as the earth lifted.

But the floor evened itself within the span of a second, and Jing-Wei gasped.

"Pretty boy over there's right."

All eyes turned to Toph who was standing as well, pale eyes directed upon Jing-Wei.

"Now is _not_ the time to be picking fights."

Mazo flashed what must have been his signature grin, though Toph couldn't see it, and nodded, giving Jing-Wei a mocking smile. "Sit yourself down, Sparowkeet, before you hurt yourself."

The woman glared at him for a long moment before finally settling down into her seat.

Through the entire affair, Iroh only counted the seconds ticking by. This is what came of youth joining the White Lotus. They were judgmental and impatient and so quick to distrust. Why was it that he brought with him the younger generation? Oh right, because their parents were _dead_. Iroh cleared his throat, giving his customary smile. "Is everyone quite done?" No one spoke, though the tension was suffocating. He was in a room packed with earthbenders and firebenders, all a part of the White Lotus Society, and none wanting to cooperate with the offending element. They were a walking hypocrisy, one that Iroh was determined to fix in due time.

He took out a folded document from his robes and set it on the table, flattening out the wrinkles and pushing it towards the center so everyone could see. "This," he began sordidly, "Is a map of the Fire Nation…"

Katara eyed the names, the boundaries, and frowned. The Fire Nation seemed so much smaller…

"…before Sozin's comet first came."

Ah, that made sense.

The general flipped the map around, and a collective growl emerged from the attendees. "_This_ is a map of the Fire Nation _after_."

The boundaries were spread and Fire Nation colonies lined the immediate area just outside the nation, as well as every Air Temple.

"The Fire Nation has captured capital city after capital city, thus stationing itself upon every port, every canal, every means of travel—"

"Except the underground sewers at Omashu," piped up the earthbender girl. She studied the map, her gaze lingering distinctly on the area renamed as New Ozai. "We sealed off the entrances there," she said knowledgeably, "When we took refuge during the Fire Nation. By the time the Avatar came through, we were able to escape by the guise of an epidemic…but I'm certain we sealed off the underground tunnels and only earthbenders can—well, I suppose, the capture of Ba Sing Se…" She shifted and looked away, leaning back into her seat, "Well. The Fire Nation has earthbenders at their command."

Her glare reached Mazo, who threw his hands up in exasperation. "Stop looking at me as if I'm the one who stormed your home and slaughtered your parents!"

Jing-Wei's mouth fell open and she sat there, stunned, before finally standing and storming out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Now look what you've done," an older woman scolded, "You need to learn when to hold that tongue of yours, Mazo – or else I'll just have to cut it off for you."

He met her glower, lifting a defiant chin, "She's the one acting as if I'm the cause of everything that's happened to her home. I'm _part_ of this society, aren't I? I'm here, I do my part, why can't she just accept that I'm _not_ the enemy?"

"You have to understand, Mazo," the general answered, "that when wounds heal, they still leave painful scars. It does not help when you remind her of the ones that mar her lifetime."

Zuko glared at his uncle.

How was it that even when speaking to someone else, the old man still found means to lecture him?

"It's not his fault that she can't set her prejudices aside," the prince defended.

"It's not _her_ fault that she's got those prejudices to begin with," Katara retorted snidely, rounding onto Zuko with a challenging scowl. "Her feelings don't come from nowhere. She has memories attached to those, memories that are painful and fresh. There's a _reason_ it's so difficult for her to accept him, how can she, after what he's done?"

"I haven't _done_ anything!" Mazo cut-in.

But his outburst went unheard.

"Maybe _she_ needs to understand that people are fallible and that they _make _mistakes. Some learn, some don't, and she needs to just accept the fact that _he_ did!"

"Making the same mistake on multiple occasions defeats the meaning of having _learned_ from it!" Katara argued.

Zuko confronted her icy glare, wondering how he could ever convince her that he was _good_, that he meant no harm, that he was here to _help_.

Sokka blinked, leaning over towards Toph. "Are we still talking about Mazo and Jing-Wei?"

Face met fist.

* * *

"You need to ease up on Flintzy," Toph said quietly, her bare feet planted firmly against the ground. She and Katara were stationed at a western exit from the underground complex, the group having been divvied up into teams of two. "He means what he says."

Katara rolled her eyes, opting not to respond, and strained her ears to listen for any sound that might signal an attack.

"He's been nothing but helpful and even entertaining since he's joined us," the earthbender continued, leaning back along wall of the narrow corridor, absently picking the dirt from beneath her bitten fingernails. "He's a good guy—"

"Would you stop talking about him as if he's the best thing that ever happened to our group?" The older girl snapped.

Toph only shrugged, dismissing her friend's retort. "Don't be stupid, he's not the best thing that happened to our group. _I_ am."

Katara couldn't stop the burst of air escaping her lungs at the soft laugh, but immediately silenced herself. She was _not_ amused! Everyone was siding with Zuko on this and she felt thrice betrayed – by Toph, by Sokka, and even by Aang. They all supported his joining them, and it was a confusing situation, one she didn't know how to fix. Perhaps there was no way to fix this…no way to kick him out lest he royally mess up. She knew better than to trust him, knew better because he hasn't betrayed the others yet…they only see the vulnerable boy.

The image of whom was still so distinct in her mind as he revealed that he, too, lost his mother to the Fire Nation…deep below Ba Sing Se…

"Hey? Earth to Sweetness, you there?"

"Oh, sorry what?" The waterbender asked, shaking herself free of those annoying thoughts.

Toph pointed towards where a torch-light flickered at the end of their tunnel. "I hear people coming, it's Snot-face I think—"

"I am _not_ Snot-face!"

"—Yep, it's him. And—"

"Mazo," Katara finished stiffly, folding her arms expectantly over her chest. The boy struck a nerve earlier, with his talk of how that Jing-Wei girl was over-reacting. In hindsight, their circumstance went in accordance with hers and Zuko's that it was almost as if she was watching herself argue and defend. The fact that Mazo looked so uncannily like a certain freedom fighter didn't help matters.

He waved a hand, lazy and tired, as they neared. "Ah, you remembered my name? I'm flattered."

"Don't be."

His smile faded.

The boy was about to say something, when a blast of fiery orange protruded from the end of the corridor where they came, an intense heat accompanying its rush through the tunnel. Toph immediately lifted the ground, sealing the hall and the four stepped back, eyeing the barrier. She didn't hear anyone coming. Didn't sense it, the running. But how is that possible? She didn't have much time to ponder this as the sounds of yelling and grunting and running grew louder and louder, voices, harsh and unforgiving. Without a second thought, they ran the opposite direction, away from the wall, away from the heat and those commanding voices.

"Talk about the blind leading the blind," Sokka cracked.

He unceremoniously ran into a stalactite.

"Toph!"

"It ain't my fault that you're so uncoordinated, Snoozles!"

The amusement in her tone betrayed her feigned innocence.

They ran up ahead, through the winding tunnels, left, left, right, onward, trekking through uncharted territory, until Toph came to a halt before a chasm. Rushing water was at their feet, rapid torrents sifting through the cave-like structure of the ravine. "I can't see from here on," the earthbender said stiffening up just the slightest, "It's feels like some sort of…river or something."

The water source.

"Yeah, as if the sound or smell of water didn't give _that_ away."

A thud and subsequent _Ow!_ followed his words.

"I could stretch a bridge across, but the roof doesn't feel very solid…"

"We have to cross using those stalagmites," Mazo said evenly, the blaze in his hand flickering dangerously. The gorge was treacherous-looking enough, the water quick and merciless, the jagged rocks just as vindictive. He turned to the group, all of whom gave him dull stares. "The taller ones are dry and obviously stable if they can withstand the water pressure. Step where I step, and try not to fall."

Katara was tempted to roll her eyes.

Toph actually _did_.

"No need for that," the waterbender said, unimpressed, "I can freeze it over and we can just walk across."

Mazo looked at her, stunned. "You're a—?"

"A waterbender?" Katara finished, "Yeah." She took her bending stance, arms fluidly manipulating the currents with relative ease. The light he offered wavered every now and then, the shadows crawling along the cavern walls growing and shrinking with every push and pull. The waterbender blew along the surface, a steady and controlled breath. A chill came with her exhale, icing over the rushing water, freezing the rapids and foam and waves as they battled their way past the stalagmites jutting out from the cave-floor. She turned back to Mazo, giving him a lopsided grin, "Intimidated?"

He was at a loss for words, and only nodded, before recomposing himself. In the faint light, his semblance to Jet was unbearable. "A little," he admitted reluctantly, "I've never met a waterbender before, or seen one in action."

"Well that's all the action you're ever going to see buddy," Sokka said at once, stepping between the pair. He was clearly wearing his Older Brother pants as he stared the firebender down. Katara wasn't the only one who noticed Mazo's likeness to Jet. "So get crossing."

Katara flushed, embarrassed at her brother's antics, and Toph chuckled behind her hand. Mazo didn't seem deterred and only nodded, turning to the bed of ice separating them from the other side of the gorge. "Right, well, I'm not exactly aiming to see much else," he assured with that crooked smirk as he took a tentative step on the ice bridge.

An explosion shook the taverns and all four hesitated. Mazo glanced at his companions as dust sprinklings fell from above them. "Run!" He ordered, sliding across the river's breadth.

The trio scrambled after him, Toph clinging fearfully onto Sokka's shirt as she skidded over the ice.

More explosions, yelling, it was getting louder and louder.

"Come on!" Mazo demanded as Toph and Sokka slipped on the ice, "Get up, we have to go, they're coming!"

"Who's coming?" Katara queried.

The firebender gave her a solemn look, "Do you really want to stick around to find out?"

Before she could reply, the roof collapsed in on them, and whoever had been battling above came tumbling down with the jagged cave stalagmites. The ice cracked under the pressure and the unanimous screams were covered by the river's thundering roar.

"Sokka!" The waterbender screamed, choking on the water. She had no control of her limbs, body tossed around the rapids like a rag-doll. Bending was useless, the situation seemed hopeless. She was overturned so many times she had no idea which way was up. Nothing but the dark met their eyes, submerged or not, all an ominous blackness and strangled cries of help. One cursing voice familiar. "Z-Zuko!"

The Fire Prince jerked his head to the side in hearing that voice, hearing her scream, hearing her in _trouble_, and he growled out as he was pressed roughly into the ravine's border, "W-Where's everyone?!" He bellowed, doing his best to remain afloat. Oxygen, sweet, sweet oxygen, stolen with every passing second as the icy cave waters flooded his lungs.

"I don't—I don't know—!"

"_Katara!_"

"Toph!!"

Zuko cursed the darkness, his helplessness as he struggled for breath after breath. This was just like falling overboard in a storm, but worse because it wasn't himself he was worried for. The waters were cold and icy, biting…cruel, destructive. He gasped out as he was forced under, hitting his spine against something hard. He yelled out, only freezing waters entered his lungs, burning his throat with something so much worse than fire. He couldn't see, couldn't do anything to help himself see. He couldn't move, couldn't bend, couldn't do a thing but let the currents tear him apart, taking him where they would. He was prey to the sea, the merciless waters, and in those critical airless moments, his life flashed before his eyes.

His childhood with Azula and Ty Lee and Mai. His mother and her beautiful face and her kind and loving eyes. His father whom he was so desperate to please.

The Agni Kai. His scar. His banishment. Zhao. The Blue Spirit.

His travels with his uncle. The pirates. The necklace. Jun.

All of it, every moment, no matter how miniscule, all of the people who dared offer him hope — Lee, Song, Jin…

His betrayal under Ba Sing Se, to his uncle, to Katara…

His betrayal against his father, to Azula…

Mai.

He took a staggering breath as he surfaced after what felt like hours but must have only been a few seconds, just in time to hear someone scream his name. "_What!_" He called back into the dark, into the roaring rapids bruising his flesh, "I'm fine!" A part of him wondered if that voice was Mai, if she was the one calling for him, worried about him. But no…as far as he gathered, the group below was Katara's, nor was Mai with _him_ up in the battlements. His thoughts jumped to her well-being. Was she alright? Was she captured? Did she escape?

"The current's slowing down!"

Zuko fought against it, against the pull, catching himself along the side of the ravine, grasping onto the slippery stones, pulling himself up out of the water enough to catch a breath. It was a strained effort, his limbs felt bruised and numb, as if tired from intense training. He took a deep breath, shaky and trembling as he kept his position upon the rocks. His entire body was shivering, a pale and helpless bag of skin, darkened and beaten by the waters.

"Help!"

He glanced around to see a body nearby, following the current, flailing arms and legs and strangled gasps. The prince braced himself, reaching out, catching a hand and he pulled her closer, grunting as his grip on the stalagmite slipped. "Toph?"

The earthbender clung to him, trembling, but not from the cold.

"I've got you," he assured her, hissing as she accidentally kicked his ribs.

"Follow the current!" A voice demanded, "Follow it, it will lead us out of here!"

"Are you _insane_?" Zuko yelled back at who he knew must be Sokka, but the warrior's voice was fading as he trailed down the calming rapids, away from Zuko and Toph, farther and farther until all that could be heard was the echo of his words.

Toph gripped his shirt, "No! No, don't listen to him—!" But it was too late. Zuko released his grip on the obtrusive rocks, and the pair went floating down the waterway.

It led to a calm entrance, a tavern of sorts, and Katara was perched on the side, Sokka, and Mazo there as well. All three were fighting for breaths, collapsed on the cave floor. Mazo provided enough light to see, but even that was dimming. Zuko tugged Toph ashore, stumbling onto his knees the moment he was sure they were safe. Everyone was silent, save for their heavy breathing. He doubted anyone had the energy to move.

Katara was the first to even try, as she shifted to a sitting position, wavering on her legs before staggering forwards and hissing out as her knees hit the ground.

"So—this is the receiving end…" Sokka gasped out, "Waterbending…is _evil_."

Toph let out a gurgling noise.

The ground beneath Sokka rose and fell so quickly that he crashed back down onto the earth with a groan.

"You dunderhead."

They resumed their bickering as if they hadn't just nearly drowned.

Cracking reached Zuko's ears and his eyes snapped up into the darkness above them, the farthest corners where Mazo's fire couldn't reach, and he willed his body to move. He couldn't speak, could barely _breathe_ let alone bend, and so he rolled over, pinning the waterbender down beneath him, doing some sort of awkward push-up, bracing his arms, his spine, for the piercing stalagmite that fell.

But rock met rock and he let out a breath of relief.

Katara's scandalized retort and Toph's defense were but muddled words. Fuzzy and unheard. Their voices rose, but he couldn't move. Consciously he was aware that he should, that Katara wanted him to, that she might smack him away if he didn't, but he was numb already so it wouldn't matter. His limbs were sore, tired, strained to the bone, and he could feel the after-effects of the earlier blow to the head still reeling.

It was all he could do to stay conscious.

And within a few groggy seconds, he couldn't even do _that_.

* * *

**Chapter VII -- Hypocrites and Opposites _Excerpt_**

_"Fire Lord Zuko," the woman crooned affectionately._

_The young man, donned in saturated reds and a variety of gold trimmings, glanced back from the balcony, amber eyes greeting his wife. He gave her a smile, genuine, pleased, as she approached him, a single delicate hand gently resting on her round stomach._


	7. Hypocrites and Opposites

**ALRIGHT **did you guys miss these frequent updates? Lol, I put up a note in my profile as to why my chapters will take a bit longer to get out to you guys, so you can just check that out. This chapter already has so many words, and I have so much more to say, that I don't feel like bothering to explain myself. Anyway, it's not a big deal.

**YOU** may notice, as you read on, that this chapter is titled something differently from what I said it would in my previous chapter excerpt. As you end this chapter, you may also notice that the excerpt I provided does _not_ at _all_ come up in this chapter. If you do, you are quite perceptive. As I typed out this chapter, it took a completely different turn than what I had originally planned, so I'm not sure the excerpt from last chapter will even be a part of the story - but hey, we all like our bit of _Ever After,_ no? Lol, so I edited the last chapter to include an excerpt from this one if you are eager to check. No really, go ahead. I'll wait here C:

**NOW** this chapter is long. L O N G. Compared to the others. It's probably the longest chapter I've ever written for any fic, since my word counts usually range from 3000-4000 words. But I loved writing it, and I certainly hope you like reading it C: Really, this chapter will be the longest one in this entire fic, I think. I'm not sure, we'll see, won't we? There are also snippets from previous _Avatar_ episodes in this, via Zuko's dreams. I'm sure you'll all recognize them, Lol.

**UH . . . **I don't know what else I wanted to say. I forgot it all, so I guess this is the end of my author's note (yes yes, you're all cheering) There's quite a bit in store for you ahead, so read on and I'd love it if you could tell me what you think. And some parts are purposefully vague. Go ahead, tell me your theories, your ideas, and your take on what's going on C: Bonus points to anyone who can tell me why Mazo calls Jing-Wei a nickname she hates, and why she hates that nickname :D

* * *

**A C Q U I E S E N C E**

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* * *

**

_Katara's scandalized retort and Toph's defense were but muddled words. Fuzzy and unheard. Their voices rose, but he couldn't move. Consciously he was aware that he should, that Katara wanted him to, that she might smack him away if he didn't, but he was numb already so it wouldn't matter. His limbs were sore, tired, strained to the bone, and he could feel the after-effects of his earlier blow to the head still reeling. _

_It was all he could do to stay conscious._

_And within a few groggy seconds, he couldn't even do _that_._

* * *

**_Chapter VII _**

**Hypocrites and Opposites**

* * *

**I**t all happened so quickly.

Katara was trying to sit up, ignoring the pangs and pains of her body as she did so, and the next thing she knew, Zuko pinned her back down onto the ground, her back flattening onto the cavern floor, shoulder-blades particularly sore from the impact. He was above her, his hands holding down her shoulders, arms wavering. He was pale, blood seeped along his hairline, his lips – did he lose a tooth? His eyes were tired, reddened from the water's icy sting. She was stunned, completely uncertain as to what to do, how to feel, it scared her that he was able to render her so completely speechless. Helpless. And yet, for a moment too brief for anyone to notice, she was content to look up into his drenched features, his eyes tired and golden, his mouth parted slightly from staggered breathing. The way the water droplets trickled down his face, tracing along the wrinkles of his scar, off the tip of his nose…

She felt a small drop of water fall on her eyelid and the physical disturbance was enough to jar her from that mysterious and warming sense of shock. Katara blinked the droplet away and her mouth formed a silent scream as realization hit her. Zuko, the banished royal headache, the traitor to the crown and to his family and to his friends, the nuisance and arrogant jerkbender, the bane of her existence, _that_ Zuko, held her down, laying above her in one of the most intimate of positions. "What—what do you think you're _doing_?!" She barely managed to shriek as the sound of rumbling brought her attention to Toph who was on her knees and scowling at the waterbender through pallid eyes.

Clods of dirt sprinkled down on both Katara and Zuko, ashen rain of dark brown-almost-black, or perhaps it was red? The cave dirt was hard, moist from the rushing water, and yet it crumbled as one particularly large chunk found its way past the fire prince's barrier, weaving through his soaking hair, brushing his shoulder, and landed on her cheek.

"He was _saving_ you," Toph explained, lowering her arms now that the falling spike had been diverted. It took strained effort on her part to earthbend, but of everyone she was in the best condition physically (if not mentally). "Not everything he does is _bad_ you know."

Katara only shifted, scowling up at the boy above her, at the way he was so calm about this, the way he was always proving himself worthy of her respect, her trust, perhaps her friendship. But she could be just as resilient. "I could have saved myself," she said stiffly, waiting for Zuko to move now that there was no danger. But he didn't, he only stayed where he was, seemingly deaf, seemingly blind and dumb – though in the back of her head Katara didn't doubt he was all of these things (and then some). Zuko's eyes glazed over, his expression blank, unfeeling, completely oblivious to whatever snide remarks left her tongue. And then without warning, he collapsed onto her chest, out cold. The waterbender gasped as his weight knocked the breath out of her lungs, gasped at his sudden bout of unconsciousness, gasped at the way his nearness wasn't as vile as she thought it would be and gasped in fear of why that might be the case.

She dismissed the thought as absolutely nothing and let out a sigh. Zuko's hair was at her lips, his head cradled above her chest, and it was a rather awkward position to be in, whether he was unconscious or not. She was struggling to lift herself up earlier, but now with Zuko's added weight moving was futile and a wasted effort, so Katara dropped her head to the ground, cursing the situation, the circumstances, and Zuko's attempt at chivalry.

Well, at least he wasn't awake to catch her mumbled '_Thank you_.'

* * *

"Can you see anything from here, Toph?"

"Just a lot of rushing water," the earthbender answered, focusing her senses on mapping out the rest of the cave. "The stream goes on and on, I think it opens out into the ocean somewhere, but the tunnel just follows it…I don't know how we can get back up."

Mazo raked a hand through his hair, flicking his dark bangs from his eyes. "You can't earthbend our way out of here, Hawkeye?"

Toph grinned at the new nickname, and shook her head, "No…the walls are too unstable, I could make this entire place collapse if I did something wrong…but maybe if I was _really_ careful—"

"Oh don't even think about it," Sokka intervened as he secured his sword's strap on his back. The layers of clothes he wore were abandoned on the ground, serving as nothing more than dead weight. "But we still need a plan…how do we get out of this place?"

Mazo frowned, absently tracing the tip of his tongue around a fang-like tooth, annoyed with the loss of his toothpick, and glanced over at Katara who was busy tending to Zuko's wounds.

Of everyone he seemed to be the worst off…but not all of his injuries were caused by the strong current and sharp rocks. She noted a dark bleeding through his shirt and hesitantly lifted it, fingers carefully peeling away the fabric that clung to his chest. She gasped in surprise at the sight of his scorched abdomen, cobalt gaze transfixed to the wound. Who could have done this? Mazo was the only other firebender she knew aside from Iroh…and surely Zuko wouldn't do this to himself. Katara lifted his shirt up, preparing to tend to his wound, when the conscious firebender called her out.

"Hey Doll, I don't think now's the time for that sort of thing."

Before she could retort that he needed to get his mind out of the gutter, Sokka beat her to it. "Katara! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm _healing_ him!" The waterbender exclaimed in irritation. "He's been burned," she continued, quieter this time but still with that air of _shut-up-before-I-waterbend-you-all-into-oblivion_. Her eyes returned to the sleeping prince, his face far from peaceful. He looked in pain, discomfort, and his lips barely moved as he mouthed words she couldn't read. His eyes darted about beneath his lids as his expression eased into that of calm serenity…a part of her wondered, as she set to healing his burns, what he was dreaming about.

* * *

"_Close your eyes…" Zuko said quietly, surveying the lanterns around them "…and don't peek."_

_The girl did so, her large chestnut gaze shut with enthusiasm long gone from his life. She was young and full of hope, she was kind and innocent and so sweet. It hurt to think that maybe this was wrong of him, to be out with her, to indulge her in something that he knew he couldn't, and shouldn't be giving, be a part of. But he figured that someone like her, like this charming young girl who was so oblivious to his past and everything he's done, all the crimes he's committed, was entitled to happiness. With alarming ease, he lit all the candles, and reveled in the way her eyes brightened at the sight as she finally opened them._

_Beautiful._

"_Now it's time for you to close _your_ eyes," she said, wearing the smile that never failed to grace her lips whenever she was near, whenever she would oh-so-casually waltz right into the tea shop as if she had nothing better to do._

_Zuko did so, humoring her, and was surprised to feel a pair of soft lips press against his mouth with a shyness he knew so well. He hesitated, the pure shock of her action catching him off-guard, before leaning a bit into her kiss, returning it. It felt…nice. Warm and comforting, something he hasn't felt in so long, or perhaps ever. It was a certain kind of happiness that couldn't be explained. It was the acceptance he's strived so hard to earn from his father, his family, his nation. The prince's eyes opened and he smiled at the girl. _

_Her face changed, her entire appearance shifted, morphed into someone he knew, someone he recognized. Another young girl, just as pretty, perhaps a little older, a little more mature, and certainly not as ignorant when it came to hurt and sorrow and death. They were seated together with his Uncle Iroh, speaking softly, sincerely._

"_When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation attacked my village. They took all the men away; that was the last time I saw my father," she confessed, eyes lowering to her hands._

_Zuko nodded, looking away. "I haven't seen my father in many years…"_

"_Is he fighting in the war?" She asked idly._

_Iroh's cool gaze jumped to the young bender. The prince's eyes hardened, thoughts going to Fire Lord Ozai, to his sister, to the kingdom that might never be his, to the throne he abandoned. He nodded once, stiffly, grip tightening about his cup of tea. "Yeah."_

* * *

"So the Fire Nation has come to find us," Mazo surmised after studying the unconscious boy's injuries. He bent over Katara, one leg propped up on a jutting spike, elbow resting casually on his knee. His dark eyes were searching, analyzing the burn with an expertise that could only belong to a firebender, and scowled. "Those bloody bas—"

"Calling them names won't remedy the situation," Katara snapped, giving the boy a rueful frown. Her hands, covered in crystalline gloves of water, gently cleaned Zuko's singed flesh, healing the scarred tissues, mending the torn seams of skin. It wasn't too difficult a feat, considering the wound was given not too long ago, but even so, it must have been torture for him to be submerged into that icy river, flailing about hopelessly with the violent currents. It certainly did nothing to ease the pain or fatality of his scalding. "First we have to think of a way to get out of here," the waterbender said as she finished up sewing together Zuko's marred flesh, the smooth skin beneath the scar tissues mending together, "And then we need to find Aang and the others."

Sokka scoffed, turning back from his watch at the river's end, eyes searching for any other floating bodies. "Aang and the others can take care of themselves, the important thing is getting to our destination," he declared firmly, waving a drenched map in the air. "Our map's ruined, but that doesn't mean we can't figure out what's what."

A resounding '_We're doomed_' from Toph followed his optimism.

Katara was not amused and didn't fail to let her sibling know. "You expect us to just leave Aang behind?" She countered, reaching for his abandoned clothes and tearing it into strips as makeshift bandages, "You must have hit your head harder than I thought."

Sokka frowned at her, waving the useless map in the air with surprising vigor. "General Iroh instructed us all to head to the rendezvous point should anything happen. It's important to stick to the _plan_, or else the whole thing will just be a confused mess!"

"The _plan_ won't work if you don't know where the rendezvous point _is_!" His sister argued.

"How hard can it be to find? We've got our own human navigation service!" His arm curled about an unsuspecting Toph's shoulders, and he shook her once, twice, with exaggerated camaraderie, "Isn't that right, Toph?"

The earthbender stiffened in his one-armed embrace, her cheeks lighting on fire, and she turned away from him, her hair serving as a curtain. "If you want to keep that arm, you'll let me go," she commented snidely, at which Sokka let out a nervous laugh and willingly did so. Toph smirked to herself, a small curve of her lips no one noticed, and folded her arms across her c hest. "But me knowing what's around us doesn't exactly help when we're looking for a place in particular – especially a place we've never been."

"How do you know we've never _been_ there?" Sokka said with that grin.

"Alright, where are we going?" Katara asked, securing the bandages about Zuko's form.

"Yeah, where _are_ we going, Oh-Knower-Of-All?" Toph added.

The warrior shook his head, folding up the map and tucking it away. "A top secret place, if General Iroh hasn't told you guys, then I guess you're just not important enough to know," he razzed, desperate to save face. "It's top-secret information given only to the people he saw fit to lead. _Obviously_ I'm one of them—"

"The Fire Nation," Mazo cut in, glancing over at the waterbender. "Captain Iroh told us all to meet at a particular house in the Fire Nation province."

"The _Fire Nation_?" Katara echoed disbelievingly, "Is he insane? He must be! Honestly, why would we be headed straight into the heart of enemy territory? _Why?_"

"_I_ don't know!" The firebender retorted at once, feeling verbally attacked, "I'm not the one who came up with that brilliant plan!"

Her glare rounded over at Sokka who gave his sister a look. "Hey! I'm not the one who came up with it, either!"

Katara pointed an accusing finger at him as she stood from Zuko's side. "Yes but _you're_ the one who's all for going with that ridiculous suicide mission!"

"Why don't we focus on getting _out_ of here first—" Toph began, when the roof gave in once more.

Everyone (who was able) leapt to their feet, prepared for battle. Debris showered down with a veil of dust, and only shadows of figures were visible through the smog. Katara lightly touched Zuko's limp body with her foot to make certain he was there, that he was alright, and drew water from her pouch, ready to attack, defend. She hadn't forgotten about the enemy, about the Fire Nation soldiers invading the underground complex. The dust settled, and three people stood amidst the wreckage. A short boy cloaked and covered, a girl who was bending the rocks away from their path, and a taller man. He smiled at the group, brushing ashes from his aged face. "Ah, it's good to know you are alright."

Mazo clapped a fist into his hand in firm respect, elbows out and arms flat, as he made for a graceful bow. "Captain."

But no one else bothered with formalities. At once, the Avatar trio cried out a unified, "Aang!" and bull-rushed the boy into a group hug. He laughed, struggling for a breath, "Wow. Have I been gone that long?"

* * *

"_Fire Lord Zuko," the woman crooned affectionately._

_The young man, donned in saturated reds and a variety of gold trimmings, glanced back from the balcony, amber eyes greeting his wife. He gave her a smile, genuine, pleased, as she approached him, a single delicate hand gently resting on her round stomach. "Yes Milady," he said with equal fondness, greeting her with open arms. She stepped lithely into his one-armed embrace, folding her own arm around his trim physique, and said nothing, simply content to stand with him here at the break of dawn, enjoying the serenity after all those years of war._

_Zuko held her close, pressing his lips into her crown of hair, taking in the sweet scent of vanilla and jasmine and something else entirely. "You shouldn't be up so early," he said, voice low and intimate, golden eyes gazing down into her gentle face, the face of beauty and love and beaming motherly pride. He grinned, tracing a finger along the side of her face, re-memorizing every facet of her countenance. "What are you doing up?"_

_The woman, robed in silk and nothing else, shrugged, walking past him to stand against the balcony, resting her hands on the marble barricade. The sunrise was beautiful, the sky an explosion of pastels. Summer was coming near, and she smiled as she thought of the birth of their first child. "I just couldn't sleep anymore," she said off-handedly, eyes gazing out over the horizon, staring faintly at the orange melting into pink, catching the vague scent of saltwater with a coming breeze._

"_Morning sickness?" The Fire Lord queried, wrapping his arms around her from behind and just standing there, taking in this peace, this bliss._

"_No," the woman giggled, turning her head to give him that crooked grin, "I just woke up and you were gone."_

_Zuko felt his nose brush against her cheek, through her tangled locks, against her ear. "You know that couldn't be true," he whispered, "I'll never be gone."_

"_I know," she answered with mock disappointment._

_He only laughed. "You hate me that much for doing _this_—" and he jokingly prodded her protruding belly, "—to you?"_

_The Fire Lady relaxed in his arms, easing back into his form, content to just stand there against him, basking in this sip of momentary grace. "I don't hate you. I've never hated you."_

_Zuko's eyes softened as he pressed a delicate kiss against her temple, "I've never hated you, too."_

* * *

Zuko sat on the grass, legs folded beneath him, grimacing in soreness with every motion. He had come-to not long after his uncle arrived, and was immediately told of what went on while he was out. It was annoying, his fainting spells (though the first time was hardly _fainting_, rather, being knocked out cold, but technicalities aside, he was always falling unconscious.) Twice was more than enough for a lifetime, and he touched the back of his head to check for a serious contusion. He found none. Aside from that, he had various cuts and bruises, and a particularly noticeable wound around his torso, which was tended to and bandaged by a waterbender who's been ignoring him since he's woken up.

He wasn't too thrilled to be jumping back into that river, and he exhaled a long breath of fire to warm himself up. It worked for the most part, but earned a glower from the waterbender across the way who was stripping away her cloak. He tried for an apologetic look, but she brushed it off, and he scowled, turning away. She was such an intolerable brat. For the most part, the firebender was left alone, after having revealed to the group who attacked him (it wasn't the Fire Nation Army, just a few select mercenaries-for-hire – Iroh fantasized that Jun was among them) and that he lost his counterpart, Aang, during the brawl.

He certainly got an ear-full from Katara about that, but Aang assured her that Zuko told him to leave.

Katara refused to recognize his act of loyalty, and Zuko would be damned if he did it just to try and impress her anyway.

Now they were here, outside of the tunnels, at the base of what looked to be a little-known valley.

Jing-Wei scowled as they trekked out of the pool of water. Her hair, usually pulled back and neat, was a mess of raven tangles over her face, and she scowled, tugging it away from her eyes. "This is why I hate swimming!" The earthbender exclaimed irately, kicking off her sopping shoes that squished with every step. "I'm all soaking wet and I don't have a change of clothes and—"

"Oh _suck it up_!" Toph cracked at once, ringing her hair out, "At least you're out of that maze!"

But the older girl did not seem at all pleased.

Yes, their entire group was out of that tunnel, but far from safety. General Iroh instructed that by following the river's path, flowing with the current, they would be led back to the outside world. And he was right – but he left out the tiny fact that it would be via _waterfall_. Jing-Wei, not having learned how to swim and being an earthbender, quite disliked _water_, especially when she was submerged in it, hopeless and flailing. "I would have been better off going with Mai," she grumbled.

Mazo only chuckled, blasting fire so near her that she jumped back in alarm. Her jaded gaze turned onto him, but the firebender was only smirking, a reed from the banks perched between his lips. His hair was sopping, matted down to his face, a tussled mess but in a most attractive manner. "Don't get your undies in a twist, I was just trying to help, Sparrowkeet."

"Jing-Wei!" She exclaimed, her patience lost, "Jing-Wei. Call me _Jing-Wei_!"

Mazo arched a brow at her, clearly entertained, and nodded. "Alright, when shall I call on you?"

The earthbender slapped him across his pretty face.

Katara watched the girl storm off and shook her head disparagingly. "You'll never win her over if you keep acting like that," she commented, giving Mazo an amused look. He reminded her so much of Jet, right down to his flirtatious tendencies, the way he could make a girl blush. Jing-Wei, though she maintained that she couldn't stand him, was still a vibrant color of scarlet even as she stomped in another direction, mouthing off about how insufferable he was.

Mazo only shrugged, quite unperturbed in being soaking wet – surprising, for a firebender – and flashed the girl a heartbreaking smile, "I've already won her over, Doll. She's just a sore loser."

"I don't get it," Sokka voiced aloud, "If she likes you, why doesn't she just say so?"

"There is such a thing as subtlety," Katara answered.

But he dismissed her reasoning. "If a girl likes a guy, she should really just tell him. Boys can be pretty oblivious to these things since girls are so confusing sometimes. They don't make _any_ sense. It would just be _so_ much easier for everyone if girls could own up to their feelings and admit—"

Before he could finish, Toph punched him in the arm. "Or guys could just stop being so stupid!"

Mazo and Sokka exchanged nervous glances and let her counter go unchallenged.

"Is everyone alright?"

Katara nodded towards the general, "For the most part." She looked past him as he addressed Sokka and Mazo, speaking of tactics and plans and where the rest of the members are. Aang was there, by the river, looking uncharacteristically distraught. She knew she should be listening on the instructions, should be paying attention, but her thoughts were elsewhere…

"—right, Katara?"

"Huh, what?" The waterbender blinked and looked over to Sokka who was giving her a bemused stare. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was suspicious of something, but he brushed it off, pointing to an enormous blob on the map.

"We've been in the Fire Nation Capital City before," he repeated impatiently, prodding the general area on the map she figured must have been the Fire Nation province.

Katara nodded sharply, feigning realization. "Oh, yeah. We were undercover as Fire Nation citizens," she affirmed.

"We know our way around pretty well," Sokka boasted to Jing-Wei (who reluctantly returned and was sitting beside a Mazo who was completely unaware of her withering scowls).

Mazo gave Sokka a pointed look, "It's my homeland, I think I'd know the way best."

"You sound like you're _proud_ of that," the warrior disputed.

"What's not to be proud of?"

Jing-Wei didn't miss a beat, "Oh, I don't know, maybe – _everything_?"

"Sokka, stop arguing!" The waterbender scolded, but he only huffed and slapped a hand down onto the map.

"You're always siding with boys you think are cute!" He exclaimed irately, "This exact same thing happened with Jet!"

Katara sucked in a sharp breath, very nearly slapped in the face. Uninhibited anger swelled within her, mixed with emotions she couldn't even begin to describe. It was the first time he's brought up her willingness to follow Jet around since she found out of his betrayal. Of his deceit. How _dare_ he comment on that again, especially after Jet proved to have reformed! Sure she was over her crush on the guerrilla warrior, on the alluring rebel, the freedom-fighter, but that didn't mean the remnants of her own naïveté were forgotten. She's never squared with the fact that she let a pretty face and a few murmured words ring her up to dry, and it was still something of a fresh wound in her memory. A constant nagging in the back of her head that she made that mistake, that she would never make that mistake again.

But didn't she?

After her lesson not-quite learned, she went and invested her trust in someone else undeserving. Perhaps less deserving…

Sokka's face crumbled at his sister's expression. "I'm sorry," he apologized at once, "I didn't mean that."

Katara looked away, focusing her eyes elsewhere. "Yes you did."

Iroh cleared his throat, politely calling attention back to the matters at hand. "We have a base situated directly in the Fire Nation. That is where we will meet the first group of White Lotuses."

"Lotuses?" Sokka asked, "Isn't it Loti?"

"Oh who _cares_?" Toph quipped, her tone demanding him to drop the irrelevant subject.

"You will not all be headed there, we will split the group in two. Mai is already there, she went ahead to pave the way and get past any suspecting guards. Azula has no knowledge of—"

Sokka's face paled with sudden horrified recognition. "Ty Lee!" He groaned in amplified dread.

"How are you so sure we can trust her?" All eyes flickered over to the injured firebender, his face uncovered now; scar visible and golden eyes scorching. "How are you so sure we can trust Mai?"

Iroh gave his nephew a hardened smile. "Mai has always been good, Prince Zuko," he answered evenly, as if stating a point, "She has known all along where her loyalties lie. I would have thought that you would be happy to know you two are in fact on the same side."

Zuko only growled, turning away to look at the lake before them.

"She is one of Azula's right hand men—"

"Women," Sokka corrected.

"—Whatever!" The prince rallied, spinning around to scowl at them all. "She is one of the lowest on my list of people to trust!"

"And that serves as grounds for _dis_trust?"

He locked eyes with the waterbender.

Blue on gold. Ice on Sun. Both incredibly stubborn and unrelenting.

And yet, after his own objections in trusting Mai, he couldn't take back his words. He knew that he had just given Katara permission to forever bear a grudge against him.

He hated her all the more for it.

"We must decide who will head to the base in the Fire Nation," Iroh said, eyes grazing over the group around him.

"I'll go," Mazo volunteered, but Jing-Wei only scoffed.

"You're much too excited to go, it's suspicious."

The boy only shot her a cunning smile, "The only suspicious thing here is your strong abhorrence of me. Zuko is just as much Fire Nation as I am, if not more so. Why don't you hate _him_?"

"Because _he's _not an annoying, arrogant, cad!"

"I beg to differ," Katara muttered under her breath.

Zuko glared.

"I'll go to the Fire Nation," Aang piped up from his place by the lakeside. He turned to the arguing band, wearing that resolute smile of his. "I've been there before, and I've got friends I wouldn't mind visiting."

"No, absolutely not!" Katara jumped up to counter, "That would be like giving them Aang on a silver platter!" She said, rounding onto Iroh. "Aang's the _last_ person we could send right into the Fire Nation!"

Sokka nodded solemnly. "Sorry Aang, but we can't gamble that much. We risked enough just coming to the village today. We should have known we were being followed. Hawky was injured when he delivered that message from Master Piandao. Must have been intercepted." His eyes lifted up to the skies, keeping a look-out for his messenger hawk on its way back from said Master. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this…

"Why doesn't Jing-Wei go—?" Toph suggested, but the other earthbender immediately leapt to her own defense.

"Why don't _you_ go!" She snapped, not bothering to hide her repulsion at the idea of being in the Fire Nation.

"_I_ wouldn't mind going," the blind girl said with a grin, "Except that I'm on quite a few wanted posters over there."

"Wanted—?" Mazo began.

"Don't ask," the Water Tribe siblings chimed together.

"Alright," General Iroh recalled everyone back together, drawing the group into a circle. "Aang and Toph cannot go. Jing-Wei refuses to go. That leaves Mazo, Sokka, and Katara."

"What about me?"

Iroh quirked a brow, "You are a traitor, Prince Zuko," (the prince couldn't help but feel somewhat stung by those words) "You and I cannot return to that place. We would be killed on the spot."

"Katara and I can go," Sokka offered, giving his younger sister a knowing grin. "We've even got Fire Nation identities!" He turned around, fumbling with something.

"Oh no, Sokka, don't even—"

The warrior spun back to face them, sporting a gray beard that, for some reason, he had on his person, and pointed to himself. "I am Wang Fire, and that is my wife!" He directed his finger to an embarrassed Katara, "Sa Fire!"

A resounding groan left the group mates.

"Well, I'm not too fond of our identities, but I wouldn't mind going into the Fire Nation," Katara stated.

Aang's evident dismay was over-looked.

"I can go with them, escort them, you know," the firebender offered.

Iroh contemplated this, eyebrows furrowing in deep thought. He was staring intently somewhere beyond them, into the bushes, and Zuko studied the man's posture, his gestures, the calculating and searching look in his graying eyes. "Jasmine!"

"Jasmine...Uncle?"

"That is the tea I had two nights ago."

Zuko slapped his hand to his forehead. "Uncle, how does that relate to anything we're talking about?"

"I was drinking it with Mai. I have always wondered what you've said, Prince Zuko, about Mai being a double-crosser to Azula's advantage. That is why I do not tell her everything. I send her ahead of everyone else and keep the details of our missions away. However, I make sure to go according to plan – I make them vague, so she does not get suspicious of why I might change plans last minute without telling her." The man nodded thoughtfully, stroking the wet tuft of hair at his chin. "She will be expecting you to arrive, Zuko," he mused aloud, "I think it imperative that you go."

Zuko nodded his understanding, satisfied. "If its winds up being a trap, then she will blow her cover. It would be unwise to reveal herself a spy when she has not gathered sufficient information on what the society plans to do." A pause then, "Or has she?"

Iroh only shook his head, wearing that pensive smile, "She has not."

The prince nodded to himself. He didn't trust Mai, and no one else knew her like he did. She was Azula's friend, she was quiet and uncaring and did what she was told, usually whatever she was told. If Azula told her to spy, she would spy. The prince convinced himself that the only reason he wanted to go was to keep an eye on her and he did a pretty good job of it.

But it still took quite a bit of convincing on his part.

"What about me?" Mazo cut in.

Iroh nodded over towards Aang, Toph and Jing-Wei. "Toph and Jing-Wei will lead you and Avatar Aang to Omashu—"

"New Ozai?" The firebender prompted, earning twin glares from the earthbenders.

"—Yes," the general affirmed. "There is also a base," He turned to a pouting Aang, "...and I think that King Bumi is there."

The Avatar perked up at the news, "King Bumi?" He echoed with a childish smile.

Iroh nodded, "He has been waiting to hear from you."

"And you, General?" Katara questioned of the elder man.

Iroh chuckled. "Oh, no need to worry about me. I have a few things to attend to. But always remember…" His tone was vague, distant, almost mysterious but in an entirely thoughtful and trusting way. He smiled at the group, now separated in two, and reached into his robes. He handed everyone (save Sokka, who was still sporting his ridiculous beard) a Pai Sho tile, all bearing the image of the white lotus, and made sure he held every gaze before dismissing them with his parting words,

_"…Those_ _who favor the White Lotus can always find a friend_."

* * *

"Do you suppose they'll be coming, then?" The exuberant acrobat asked as she impatiently peered through the window down at the streets of the Fire Nation. Her eyes were wide with excitement, enthusiasm, and she giggled behind a hand. "You say that Water-Tribe warrior was with them, will he be coming, too?"

Mai rolled her eyes, leaning back against a wall, clearly disinterested with the whole affair. "Probably, if he's _with_ them, and if _they're_ coming. It'd be safe to assume that he'd _also_ be coming." She gave Ty Lee a pointed look, one that spoke volumes of her irritation.

But her cheerful counterpart was undeterred. "Why're you so sad, Mai? You just saw Zuko! I'm surprised you're not hoping for them to come sooner!"

The weapons-master scoffed, turning away from her friend to hide a faint coloring on her cheeks. "Oh, please. I'm not the type," she said sordidly, ignoring Ty Lee's quips about how if she _was_ the type she'd be counting the moments until Zuko finally appeared at home, with her…here in the Fire Nation. Such silly thoughts, silly fantasies. Mai had to will herself not to gag on the spot.

She and Zuko were _over_.

And that was that.

"I wonder if Sokka will like my hair this way, do you think he'd prefer it down?"

Mai closed her eyes, mentally slapping a hand to her forehead.

"I think he'd like it if you'd shut up for five minutes."

Ty Lee only pouted and turned to her reflection in the mirror. "I think Zuko would like it if you'd smile every once in a—" A needle very precisely embedded itself into the vanity's frame, and the acrobat sighed, giving Mai a look through the mirror, "Very mature."

The projection artist didn't bother with a reply.

"What would you do if he wanted you back?"

Mai glare out the window, the shadows of the curtains falling across half her face as the sun began its descent behind the horizon. What would she do if Zuko wanted her back? What would she do if he begged for her affection, if he denounced his treason against the throne? What would she do if he confessed that he cared, that he always cared, that the letter was true and not a mockery of their relationship?

She closed her eyes, fingers gliding steadily along a single shurikenjutsu, the poison-tipped needle cool and smooth under her absent caress.

"I don't know."

* * *

**And that concludes Chapter 7 C:**

**Now, I know that everyone says Katara's Fire Nation name is Saphire Fire  
But when I first saw the episode, I cracked up because I took it as Sa Fire  
And thought that was much more witty**

**So it's Sa Fire.**

-shot-

* * *

**Chapter VIII -- Strung Taut _Excerpt_**

"I think your Uncle is a very honorable man," Katara said absently as they strolled along the Fire Nation streets, posing as civilians going about their daily lives. She paused at a vegetable stand and purchased a few melons, dropping them into the basket a disguised Zuko grudgingly held. "And talented. Girls love musicians."

He scoffed, rolling his golden eyes. "He's honorable, I'll give him that."

The waterbender scowled at him, purposefully dropping a cantaloupe with unnecessary force into the basket. "Show him more respect, did he teach you nothing?"

"He taught me to firebend," Zuko deadpanned.

"And nothing else," his counterpart snapped.

The prince huffed, moving the basket out of her grasp as she reached to drop in a few cabbages. "He taught me how to play the pipa."


	8. Strung Taut

**THIS** chapter is actually longer than the _last_ one, so I guess it's the longest one I've ever written C: But since so many of you lauded the length of the previous chapter, I decided to make future chapters longer. It's...different, it certainly takes me longer to get a chapter finished, but I'm proud of the end product anyway. I tried to make it seem as...realistic (well, to the Avatar-verse, anyway) as possible, and there is an explicit reference to _The Desert_ in this one concerning Pai Sho I'm sure most of you will notice. I apologize for grammar/spelling errors. I'm not quite used to these longer chapters yet, so editing and such is...something of a pain? Lol.

**SORRY** for any confusion. I realize you must have gotten emails saying that I uploaded chapter 8 before, but that was a mistake. My cousin uploaded the chapter for me, thinking it was finished - it wasn't, so I took it down. This one is complete now, again, sorry for the confusion, everyone -sheepish-

**ANYWAY **I hope it's alright and that you guys like it, thanks sooo much to all of you who have reviewed (past one-hundred? XD -celebrates-) I've actually drawn a picture of Katara and Zuko as they would be dressed in the Fire Nation, though admittedly Katara's much more...lavishly adorned. Lol I'll post the link to it in my profile once I upload it and such...if I ever get to. I'll let you all know when I do that. Thank you all for getting this story past 6500 hits and thanks to everyone who's alerted and favorited this fic. It's really such encouragement to know that you guys like it, and now here's the next chapter out to you all :D Enjoy, and I'dfdefinitely appreciate if you could take the time to let me know what you think C: Feedback, ConCrit, Suggestions, anyone?

* * *

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A C Q U I E S E N C E

* * *

"_What would you do if he wanted you back?"_

_Mai glare out the window, the shadows of the curtains falling across half her face as the sun began its descent behind the horizon. What would she do if Zuko wanted her back? What would she do if he begged for her affection, if he denounced his treason against the throne? What would she do if he confessed that he cared, that he always cared, that the letter was true and not a mockery of their relationship?_

_She closed her eyes, fingers gliding steadily along a single shurikenjutsu, thfe poison-tipped needle cool and smooth under her absent caress._

"_I don't know."_

* * *

**_Chapter VIII _**

**Strung Taut**

* * *

**Q**uit fidgeting with that stupid beard!" Katara hissed as the trio neared the Fire Nation border. Her older brother, donned in a light cloak, fumbled with the scraggly gray nest attached to his chin, constantly itching the area that scratched against his neck. The waterbender frowned his way, azure eyes threatening. "It's so much more suspicious for you to be found wearing a fake beard than it would be walking around _without_ one," she haughtily pointed out, making sure to keep her voice low so as to avoid being overheard. Here they were, practically fugitives, heading straight for the very nation hunting them down. Azula was in there, somewhere, perhaps miles away, tucked in the palace, but even so…the idea of her being on the same planet was in itself terrifying, but sharing the same _nation_…

The girl shivered, pushing the thoughts aside. Psyching herself out would do nothing to help their situation. Besides, they wouldn't be in a major city of the Fire Nation, and Katara highly doubted that either Fire Lord Ozai _or_ Azula were much inclined to strolling through the less fortunate streets of their ruling kingdom. They wouldn't lower themselves to mingle amongst the _peasants_. She scowled at the thought, at the word as it sifted through her mind, and her gaze instinctively jumped over to the third member of their party. A certain dark-haired boy who lost his family, his kingdom, and his title. _He_ referred to them as pefasants. _He_ saw them as inferior. Katara wouldn't put it past Ozai and Azula to think the same.

"What if they recognize us, though?" Sokka argued as he made sure neither his boomerang nor his sword was visible through the guise. "Azula and Ty Lee," (the second name left his lips with a frightened shudder) "know what we look like," he reminded her.

But his sister only rolled her eyes. "Do you really think they'll be walking around the modest sects of the Fire Nation?" She asked cynically, tugging at the red fabric of her own stolen attire. It brought back memories, the first time they saw these clothes, took them, wore them, posed as citizens. Except this time they traded in their best friend for their former worst enemy. "I can't imagine Azula blending in with the _peasants_, can you?"

Zuko cringed as the word left her lips with a sharpened inflection. The way her tone was biting, scathing almost, and he had to refrain from jumping to his defense. He had nothing to defend. He called them peasants, he used to see others as such, and thought them lower…just because he was on his way in paving a new future didn't mean he mended the potholes from his past. He felt bad about it, surely, but his own internal struggles meant nothing to the waterbender chewing him out whenever an opportunity presented itself.

He wished she'd use her wits on something more _productive_.

"I couldn't imagine Zuko here blending with peasants, either," Sokka said with a chuckle as he hooked an arm about the firebender's neck, pulling him closer as if they were childhood pals, "But look at him now! Fraternizing with us and all, isn't that right, Sparks?"

The prince nearly grimaced at the way Sokka was so near (and at the nickname he thought left with Toph). He should have been grateful, really, that the warrior was so forgiving, willing to accept him as one of their own, but Katara's implicit diatribe grated at his nerves. Not even Sokka's goofing off could ease the guilt, the irritation, the regret, already so ingrained into his person that he couldn't so much as blink without seeing a flash of his crimes, the way he was so ruthless and unforgiving…the old Zuko.

Katara only rolled her eyes but said nothing as they approached the Fire Nation border, where an older male suited in scarlet armor (and was clearly sweating through it) stopped them in their tracks. She supposed he was meant to be intimidating, but she only felt bad for the poor man. His eyes were tired, weary from the heat, and she wondered under what conditions he had to serve. Were the guards not properly taken care of? Surely the ones who defended the palace were pampered well enough. Despite his evident fatigue and discomfort beneath the blistering sun, his voice was cutting and surprisingly strong.

"Unfold yourselves," he demanded with Fire Lord given authority.

At once Sokka pushed Zuko out of his brotherly embrace and cleared his throat, going for those theatrics he seemed to be so fond of. With a trembling bow, he answered, voice shaking and overtly rasping, "My name is Fire, Wang Fire. And this is my wife, Sa Fire. We are but humble travelers returned home after accompanying relatives to New Ozai."

Which wasn't a _complete_ lie, afterall, they did see Aang, Toph, Mazo and Jing-Wei off from the Western Air Temple.

"Why…is your wife so much younger than you?" The guard asked with mild curiosity, and then he immediately composed himself, nodding at the trio. "My apologies, that is none of my business," he said at once.

Katara smiled prettily at the man, pulling out a flask of water for him. "Oh, it's fine," she assured, "This is actually my father. He's just delirious from the heat is all, you'll understand. Apparently I look much like mother…" And she shrugged with feigned innocence.

The man refused her water, but gestured for them to cross the border. "You'd better get him into some shade quickly then. I'm sure he'll need the water more than I."

Sokka scowled at his sister, who maintained her smile and ushered the warrior past. "Thank you."

Zuko followed, only to be stopped.

"Unfold yourself." The sentry repeated, clearly thinking he was of a different party. And why not? He neither looked like family, nor did Sokka and Katara explain who _he_ was. (Nevermind that Sokka slung an arm around him in what could only be perceived as camaraderie.)

Katara laughed then, a flirtatious little giggle as if she remembered something that she shouldn't have forgotten in the first place. "I'm sorry," the waterbender said, "He's—"

"Lee," Zuko answered.

"And your business here?" Ventured the man.

Katara was about to reply that he was a family-friend, when Sokka, quite put out in having been trumped by his sister, fit himself between the opposing benders and smiled crookedly at the guard. With a fatherly ruffling of Zuko's hair, he laughed, jabbing a thumb his sister's way.

"He's here to make me some grandkids!"

* * *

"_Katara, I don't feel right about this…"_

_The waterbender caught his chin, giving him that reassuring smile he loved so much. "You don't have to worry about me," she said sincerely, eyes bluer than the water she commanded; wide and intimate and maybe a little shy. "I mean…you don't have to worry at all," Katara amended, a hint of color dotting her cheeks._

_Aang loved the way her skin felt against his, the way her hand was so soft and gentle, cradling his cheek with motherly affection. "I always worry when our group is separated," he said quietly, trying to keep that smile on his face. She was doing so well, beaming at him with something like pride he felt he didn't deserve. "It really doesn't feel right, what if something happens?"_

"_Zuko will be with us," Katara tried, but her words were dry._

_He quirked a brow, amused and maybe a little teasing, "Don't do anything to Zuko, I need a Firebending Master to train me, remember?"_

_Katara laughed, softly so that no one else would hear. This was their own private conversation, their own moment of intimacy that went beyond any other kind a friendship had to offer. It was inexplicable, this connection, but a part of her was afraid it would fade with their separation. "There's always Iroh."_

_Aang chuckled. "He's busy playing Pai Sho and making tea," he said in jest._

_But the girl only sighed, "Aang—be careful."_

_The airbender looked at her with wide eyes as he lifted a hand to cover hers. Her skin really was so soft…"Only if _you_ promise to be careful."_

_Katara smiled again, but this time hurt and uncertainty replaced the pride he selfishly proclaimed as his. "Aang..." She whispered tentatively, for a brief moment letting mutual affection manifest between them. It was a beautiful thing, one that was much more difficult to let go than she could have ever anticipated. Her hand slipped away from his face and that liaison of spirits stretched thin, striving to connect once more, but unable to do so. "I promise."_

_And with those two words he knew that she meant so much more than the explicit promise…_

"Hey, Twinkletoes."

Aang jerked his head around, Momo clinging onto his shoulder with the sudden motion. Toph was sitting up, hands clasping at Appa's fur. Her expression was only a little queasy, and she loosened her grip from earlier, but it was obvious she was incredibly uncomfortable with flying – but he couldn't blame her. The boy laughed childishly at the sight of her, at the way she clung so helplessly onto Appa's back, that cynical look in her pale eyes.

He was yanked out of his own reverie, forced to set aside thoughts of Katara and the lost moment of confession. There was no telling how long it would be until they were united once more, their group, and he was reluctant to leave her. He was being selfish again, not wanting to let the gang break apart even if it might mean sabotaging the Fire Lord and Azula. But how fair was it really, that he was obligated to make such unbearable sacrifices, bonds, friendship, _love_, because it was his duty. Because he was the _Avatar_. He never _asked_ to be the Avatar…

If he had his way, he wouldn't _be_ the Avatar.

But the curse was in itself a blessing, because he would have never met Katara.

It was confusing, a circular argument with no end and no beginning. It simply existed. The injustice, the gratitude, the fates. Funny how some things worked out.

Or didn't.

"Yeah?" He asked, banishing the resentful thoughts from his mind. Aang didn't need them plaguing his conscience, he had enough in his hands already, pessimism aside.

Toph shook her head as a means of clearing her face of annoying raven locks. "I mean, not that I'm complaining or anything, but being blind and entirely helpless at around one-hundred-thousand miles off the ground, I'd appreciate it if you'd _pay attention to where Appa's going_!"

The airbender flushed red and laughed, scratching the back of his head with a jittery hand. He was daydreaming, thinking back on his farewell to Katara and failed to realize when Appa would swerve or jerk. "Sorry about that, Toph," he apologized, and then glanced over to Jing-Wei who was very nearly as frightened as the blind girl, and Mazo…who seemed lost in his own world. "My head was in the clouds."

Toph rolled her eyes at the pun.

"Your head in the clouds might let us wind up with _our_ heads in the _dirt_."

Jing-Wei scowled at the comment, not comforted in the least. "_Must_ you say that?" She shot irritably, fingers weaving through the bison's white fur.

Toph only gave her a crooked grin, "It should be reassuring, really – you'll be with your element."

The older female shifted nervously, prompting Mazo to sling his arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Sparrowkeet, I won't let anything happen to you."

She dutifully pushed him off the bison.

* * *

The trio walked in silence as they strolled along the Fire Nation streets. Zuko adjusted the scarf that crossed over his face, covering the scar marring his features. He felt stupid wearing it, but Katara insisted. It occurred to him, of course, that maybe she found some personal amusement in making him look stupid – but Sokka thought that it made him look mysterious. In either case, Zuko wasn't inclined in being recognized. No one knew his face in Ba Sing Se, but this was his own territory he was walking in – banned from, running away from. It was his prison for so many years, his burden for even more, and now it was his hell. The nation, the crown, the family. It was a harsh truth he was still adjusting to, still telling himself to accept. This wasn't just some nightmare he could wake up from—

"Oh come on, you can't still be mad," Sokka pestered of his fuming sister.

Katara only glared daggers, "_Grandkids_, Sokka?"

"It's Wang!" He said at once, "And you have to admit. It was _funny_."

The waterbender let out an aggravated sigh, smacking him upside the head.

—No. This was far worse than a nightmare. The prince shook his head, raking a hand through his hair. Admittedly, he wasn't very amused with Sokka's earlier comment either. For anyone to suggest that he and Katara were romantically involved…why the thought was beyond being laughable and crossed the line to downright insulting. Not that Katara would make a particularly bad wife, she'd just be a particularly bad one for _him_. What with her hatred towards him and all…

On top of that…Zuko could most certainly snag a girl who _didn't_ hate him!

"Respect your elders!" Sokka exclaimed in that aged voice, "What would Gran-Gran think of you hitting your Papi like that?"

"I'll _tell_ you what Gran-Gran would—!"

"Darling!"

The bickering pair glanced at Zuko, who tried not to shrink under Katara's glacial stare. He was growing increasingly uncomfortable under her affronted expression, regretting referring to her with such a term of endearment, but he nodded his head to the side, lifting his visible eyebrow in a manner that simply said _Look_. The siblings did so, and to their surprise, the sentinel who had let them pass was walking down the street. Apparently, his shift was over. Zuko braved a crooked smile, hoping that Katara wouldn't drown him in his sleep. "You really should stop harassing your father," he said evenly, trying to maintain an air of warmth – and failing miserably.

"I knew I always liked you!" Sokka teased.

"He's old and senile."

The warrior's face fell and he scowled at his supposed son-in-law.

Katara scoffed at the insult, giving her brother a rueful glance. With a practiced sigh, she nodded, shrugging a single shoulder up and down in something like defeat. "You're right," she said giving her 'father' a _look_. "He _is_ old and senile."

Zuko forcibly chuckled, and it came out quite adoring, much to the waterbender's alarm. He gave a gentlemanly smile to Sokka, gesturing for him to follow. "Now come on, we have to go, now, Sir."

Sokka waved a hand. "Right! Lead the way, sonny!"

Katara mentally slapped herself.

She was traveling with _morons_.

They passed the guard as they traipsed through the town, and he beamed wearily down at them, wiping a hand over his face. His palm came away with sweat. "Well if it isn't the happy couple and the father," he said with a friendly booming chuckle, "You three doing alright? You seem lost."

Zuko nodded, "We're fine."

Katara scowled at him and _playfully_ hit his arm. "Oh don't be silly…" a pause, "_Lee_." A fake laugh left her lips, and she glanced sheepishly up at the sentry. "Men, never want to ask for directions. We're actually looking for…a teashop."

"A teashop, eh?" The guard echoed, rubbing his chin with a clammy hand. "Well, in a district as small as this, I reckon there's only one, and it's on the other side of town," he said thoughtfully. "Would you like me to show—?"

"No," the prince cut in, offering a diplomatic smile, "We'll be fine. Thank you for your help," and without bothering to wait for a goodbye, he took Katara's arm and lead her away, Sokka following close behind. Zuko frowned once they were far enough from the guard and dropped his supposed fiancée's arm. "What the hell do you think you're doing asking _him_ for directions?" The firebender growled irritably.

Katara's mouth fell open and she looked just like a fish out of water (which, he realized, she actually _was_). "Well we have no idea where we're going, what's wrong with asking for help?" She prodded him sharply in the chest then, "Just because your male ego can't take—"

"This isn't about my ego!" He snapped, snatching her wrist before she could poke him again. "He's a _guard_! He works for Azula!" Tossing her hand aside, he stepped back, away from her and her aggravating trust issues. "Or did you forget?"

She massaged her wrist where his grip (must have) bruised her skin. "I did _not_ forget," she sneered, "Don't you think it might be wise to have a few _insiders_ as allies? Did you ever think that maybe befriending someone who works for them would be advantageous?"

Zuko only scoffed, "_Or_ it could get us all killed!"

A few passers-by glanced curiously at the pair, and Sokka only laughed shakily, as if to dismiss their rather peculiar argument. "Marriage jitters." Luckily for him, the opposing benders were much too distracted with the quarrel at hand to have heard his comment. Sokka stroked his beard, leaning against a walking stick he would point in their direction every so often with the occasional yell of, "Cut it out you hooligans!"

Katara threw her hands up into the air in exasperation, "You are _impossible_! You're so used to working alone that you can't even rely on someone who might be able to help!"

"I don't work alone," he said quietly. "I work with my Uncle."

"And you betrayed _him_, too."

Zuko fisted a hand, about to tell her _just _what he thought of her snarky attitude, when Sokka fit between them, wrapping his arms about their shoulders and chuckling like the old geezer he pretended to be. "Hey! How about we get some tea?"

Katara gave her brother a look, "Well I'd love to, but we have _no idea_ where the teashop is because Mister Jerkbender over there won't ask for stupid directions!"

"I'd rather wander around for a few minutes than risk our lives asking for directions!" He countered.

Sokka shook his head, his beard itching against Katara's cheek. "Well, we'll never find a teashop if you're both looking for a certain one," he reasoned good-naturedly. "Why don't we just go to that one, right there?"

* * *

Mazo sat a good deal away from the spit-fire Jing-Wei, looking very perturbed and irate. His arms were folded across his chest, legs crossed beneath him, and he sulked at the head beside a cheerful Avatar. His eyes glanced back at the earthbender every now and then, only to give her snide looks, and she'd scoff, rolling her jaded eyes. Mazo turned away, facing ahead. "She's impossible," he declared stiffly of Jing-Wei, obviously shaken in having been _pushed off the bison_. "She's got some serious issues to work out."

Aang only gave him a smile, the reigns held loosely in his hands. "Well, the capture at Omashu must really be taking its toll on her," he said logically as he steered Appa through a cloud. The temperature cooled significantly, droplets of moisture clinging to hair and clothes and fur. "It must be hard for her to accept working with someone of the nation who took over her home."

"The siege at New Ozai was years ago," Mazo stated flatly, "Besides, it's foolish of her to hold such prejudices against the entire Fire Nation. We're not all bad."

"Give her time," the Avatar suggested, "She'll come around."

"And if she doesn't?"

He remained quiet for a moment as Appa burst through from the cloud, tufts of white escaping with him. Aang gave Mazo that goofy smile, "Then it would be best if you avoided heights when with her."

Toph turned to her companion. "They're talking about you," she said disinterestedly.

Jing-Wei bristled on the spot. "He's probably cursing me out right now," she assumed, glaring daggers at the back of the firebender's crimson shirt. "Oh sages, he's such an arrogant—"

"You realize practically _all_ boys are just like him?" Toph pointed out.

The older girl scoffed, "Maybe all _Fire Nation_ boys."

"Well…Sparky is pretty arrogant, but Snot-face has got an ego, too. And from what I've heard, so did Jet."

She didn't even bother asking who those people were. "Ugh, he's just…he's impossible, totally self-centered and thinks he's so great. He thinks everyone loves him and that he's so perfect, that any girl would be lucky to have him and—"

Toph gave her counterpart a look, "Are you sure _he's_ the one that thinks all that?"

Jing-Wei started, blinking at the blind earthbender uneasily. "Of course!" She insisted, "Who else would think that but him?"

Toph only shrugged. "If you say so."

From Appa's front, Aang let out an exuberant yell, "We're here!"

Jing-Wei peered over the bison's side, grasping onto his fur, and felt her heart skip a beat in returning home to Omashu. "We are here," she said in quiet reverence, "Toph, you should really see this. It's beautiful."

Toph only rolled her eyes. "Really? It looks like everything else to me."

She glanced over at the blind girl and flushed. "Oh, right. Sorry."

"It's awful," Mazo voiced at Aang's side, earning a glare from Jing-Wei. He gave her a look, arching a single brow. "Perhaps it was once beautiful, but now…now it just reminds me of a prison."

The earthbender scowled at him, softly, confused, and returned her mint gaze out over what was renamed as New Ozai. After awhile, she nodded to herself, sadly, regretfully, "You're right."

"You'd better hold on tight, we're going down!" Aang warned as Appa lurched forward into a downward swoop, dislodging the firebender from his perch.

He grabbed onto the bison, skidding right between the two earthbenders, and gave Jing-Wei a lopsided smile. "Have we met?"

In spite of herself, she laughed, burying herself into Appa's fur.

"Oh, shut up."

Toph sighed. "You guys are more annoying than Sokka."

* * *

Sokka sneezed as they entered the teashop and wrinkled his nose at the tickling sensation. "Someone's talking about me," he said, straightening up.

Katara scoffed, "Oh please, who'd talk about you?"

They glanced around the small shop, at the counter and the tables, at the pictures hanging on the walls of different types of tea and others of Fire Lord Ozai. Zuko tugged at the headband tied crookedly over his scar. "Uncle instructed us to come to this precinct and to head for the teashop," he said under his breath as they moved as a small cluster into the tearoom. It was a small sort of bistro, charming if not for the evident lack of fresh paint and maintenance. "He said we'd know our way from here."

The warrior looked around and grabbed onto Zuko's shoulder. "I've found my way!" He exclaimed, "Look, a menu!"

Katara frowned at her brother. "We're not here to _eat_," she reprimanded, but the boy pouted.

"Old men need their energy," he reasoned, arching his back forward in exaggeration. "My old limbs aren't what they used to be."

She glared, "Oh, I'll make sure they aren't what they used to be—"

"There," Zuko's voice cut into her threat. The siblings looked to where his eyes were directed and spotted an old man wearing a straw hat, reclined in a booth by the window. A Pai Sho board was set before him, a pouch of tiles beside it. "Come on," the prince demanded as he made his way over to the lone player.

"We're here looking for allies and you want to gamble?" Katara inquired.

Zuko shook his head. "Pai Sho is more than just a game," he explained inaudibly, trying to recall what his Uncle said. They approached the male who glanced up from beneath the rim of his hat, and Zuko nodded. "May I have this game?"

The other man was about to reply, when Sokka pushed past, "You sit back on this sonny," he said with elderly wisdom he lacked, "And watch how a game of Pai Sho is really played."

"But—"

Sokka only shook his head, giving the prince a knowing grin, "Don't worry, your Papi will take care of this," and he took a seat opposite of the stranger.

"The guest has the first move," the player declared. Sokka withdrew his tile and placed it on the center of the board. "Ah, the lotus gambit."

Sokka beamed, "It's something special."

The man hesitated, eyeing the elderly male with curiosity, before nodding. "Then let us play."

Zuko watched as Sokka lost.

"No, no, once more!"

The player chuckled, "_I_ did not play to win. But it seems you are particularly unlucky," he said as he weighed the silver pieces in a single hand.

Zuko dragged Sokka away and scowled. "You were playing to _win_?" He growled irritably, eyes flaring with suppressed rage. "Are you an idiot? You just lost our money!"

"_He's_ not the one who suggested we play in the first place," Katara cracked, but then rounded onto her brother, "And what did you think you were doing, playing a game you don't even know how to?"

"I know how to!"

"Well then playing a game you're horrible at," she amended.

Zuko took a steadying breath. "Here's what we'll do – we'll play again."

"_What_? And lose more money?" The waterbender countered, "I don't think so!"

"Listen to me," he implored, "I know how to deal with this. We'll get our money back, find our allies and have a place to stay come nightfall." Sokka opened his mouth, but Zuko nodded, "And we'll have dinner."

The warrior grinned, "Sounds like a plan!"

They returned to the Pai Sho player, and Zuko sat across from the stranger. "May I have this game?"

He only grinned, patting the pouch of coins Sokka gambled and lost. "Are you sure that is a wise choice? I would feel guilty if I turned a couple and a grandfather out onto the streets."

Zuko only nodded, "I'm sure."

"Very well then, the guest as the first move."

He placed the White Lotus tile at the center of the board.

"The white lotus gambit, as well. Not many still cling to ancient ways."

Zuko let a light grin tug at the corner of his lips. "Those who do can always find a friend."

The other man returned his smile, "Then let us play." Tiles were placed, moves were done, and by the end a lotus was formed around the central tile. The Pai Sho player smiled broadly at his partner. "Welcome brother, the White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."

"Great game!" Sokka enthused as he slapped a hand down onto the table, "So when do we eat?"

* * *

The man, Yu, who turned out to be Jin's brother (_Whatever happened to Jin_, Sokka wondered, but decided to ask Iroh about that when he got the chance), led them up a flight of stairs and onto the apartment floors of the Ginseng Tea House. He bowed politely, removing his straw hat. "It is with great respect that I help the General Iroh and his nephew." At Zuko's surprised face, Yu laughed. "I was given word that you would be arriving, I do not simply sit out there all day waiting for a game of Pai Sho," he said knowingly. "It is an honor, Prince Zuko."

The firebender fidgeted uneasily at the veneration. "Please, stop," he asked, "I don't deserve such admiration."

Yu only gave him that respectful smile. "On the contrary, Prince Zuko, you have just proven that you _do_." He gestured for them to enter through a door then, handing the prince a brass key. "This will be where you three stay while in the Fire Nation. I am sorry that it does not compare to the luxuries provided at the palace, but—"

Zuko shook his head, taking the key, and gave the man a grateful nod. "We are very thankful that you are risking your life to hide us here. We owe you," he said sincerely, and Yu only beamed. He fit the key into the lock and let the door swing open. Not even a step into the room when he spotted Mai leaning back against the far window, an expression of utmost boredom across her features. She looked annoyed, impatient, and it was odd, seeing such emotion on her face.

"About time," she idly drawled, nodding a dismissal to Yu. "I'll take it from here."

Yu bowed to her as well, before leaving the trio in the room with the queen of all things somber.

Once the door was closed behind them, Zuko scowled, "What are you doing here?"

Mai only raised a single brow, pushing herself off the sill in a single lazy motion. "Well, General Iroh sent me ahead to get everything fixed up for you guys. Make things easier. All of this was just handed to you upon your arrival – I appreciate the thanks. And you're welcome," she said sarcastically, moving over to the vanity table and taking a needle embedded into the frame. She tucked it away, dark eyes seemingly disinterested. "Well, now that you're all here and alive, I have to be on my way."

"You're not staying with us?" Katara asked.

Mai shook her head, "Me? Stay here? No. Azula will be looking for me."

"You're staying with Azula?"

"Her best friend wouldn't be holed up in some flea bag apartment in the poorest district of the Fire Nation," she said pointedly. "I'll be in the Capital City."

Zuko only frowned, suspicious of her actions. "Why?" He prompted.

The projectionist sighed, giving him a look that plainly said, '_Are you stupid?'_ "Don't you think Azula might notice strange behavior?" She nodded languid farewells to the Water Tribe siblings and made her way across the room to the exit. "I'll drop by in later after I've found out more from Azula," she said listlessly as she pulled the door open. "And you might want to be careful who you talk to. I heard a guard chatting with some people, telling them about a strange couple and the girl's father." Her eyes drifted to Sokka. "Your beard's falling off, by the way." And the door shut behind her.

"See, I told you befriending the guard was a bad idea."

Katara scowled, heading for the window, and glanced down over the streets. "I'm sorry, alright? I'm not used to being surrounded by traitors."

Zuko told himself her comment didn't sting.

"She's been here for who knows how long, and she didn't even bring us—"

_Knock, knock_.

Sokka answered the door and threw his arms around a grumpy-looking chef. "FOOD!"

* * *

Katara couldn't sleep against that night. It felt awkward and uncomfortable, laying here in a bed, in an apartment above a teashop, in the Fire Nation. She didn't belong, and everything was so _different_. The sound of water was replaced by blistering heat and the occasional yelling of people outside, garbage cans being knocked over, pots and pans in the kitchen below clanking as someone rummaged through. She pressed her face into the turtle-duck-feather down pillow, scowling as a stem poked through the fabric and scratched against her skin. The weather was humid and sticky, barely any breeze came by to remind her of home. She didn't like it, didn't like it one bit, and Sokka's snoring did nothing to help lull her to sleep. She lay awake in her cot, trying to count backwards, losing her place around the thirties. Zuko was silent in his bed roll, somewhere by the door. Her brother was in his own bed roll, sprawled out and drooling over the floor, empty food containers littered around his perimeter. She got the bed, courtesy of the prince who told Sokka that he'd probably just roll off the cot anyways, and that was just another reason why she couldn't catch any shut-eye.

He was so _nice _to her, chivalrous, and it made her feel immature carrying on with her contempt. He was obviously trying to make amends, and she stomped her foot and held her breath, throwing a fit whenever he did something _good_. What's more, she doubted that his giving her the bed was an act to try and win over her trust – it was simply Zuko being Zuko, and she realized, as she sat up to glance at the shadow by the door, that she didn't really know Zuko at all. A disturbing thought, one that didn't help ease her mind, and Katara sighed, peeling herself from the bed, and moved over to the window. It was open, but no breeze greeted her visit. Only the hot air and the dark night, a foreign view in this enemy land. She leaned against the sill, noting the colors just bursting over the horizon. Another sleepless night gone by…

"Katara?"

She jumped at the sound of his voice, spinning around to see Zuko sitting up, lifting his arms high over his head as a means of relieving the soreness of his muscles. The waterbender scowled, telling her heart to calm itself. "Don't do that," she whispered.

He only gave her a look, dropping his arms at his sides, "Don't say your name?"

"No—oh, nevermind," the girl grumbled, turning back around to watch the sunrise. She could hear Zuko fumbling with his bed roll, hear his steps as he padded over to her, the vibrations of the floorboards alerting her to his nearness. She rested her head against the frame, releasing a sigh. "What are you doing up so early?"

The prince leaned over the window's ledge, peering out over the streets of their temporary home. "I rise with the sun, remember?"

She imagined there was a smile on his face. "Right, of course."

"The real question here is, what're _you_ doing up so early?"

Katara shrugged dismissively. "Can't sleep."

"Because I'm here?" He prompted with a crooked grin.

She let a soft laugh escape her lips and inclined her head to the side, "No. Because _I'm_ here."

A moment of silence passed between them, during which Zuko frowned down at the streets, a pensive look on his face. It was early, sunrise, and not many people rose with the sun, but he did, and though he usually mediated in the mornings, he doubted Katara could be as easily entertained. He felt bad, surely, for having dragged her out here into the Fire Nation, not to mention for having betrayed her trust when it was a blessing that she offered it in the first place. He turned away from the waterbender, biting at the corner of his lip. "We can go buy food," he proposed, "For breakfast. And maybe some extra clothes, or something."

"What about Sokka?" The girl inquired, glancing back at her brother whose snoring dwindled to muttering in his sleep.

Zuko grinned at the sleeping warrior. "I…think he'll be fine on his own."

Katara weighed her options as she contemplated what to do. She could stay here and do nothing until Sokka woke up (which wouldn't be for however many more hours) or she could explore the district that is her prison with the boy she hated most in the world. She sighed, never having been one to waste valuable time – it was slipping through their fingers already – and nodded. "Yeah, alright. Let's go."

Her counterpart was surprised that she agreed and blinked. "Alright, just…hold on." He returned to his bed roll and grabbed a shirt. Katara hadn't even realized he was without one until then, and her cheeks heated, turning away. It was one thing to train with minimal clothes, it was another to be up early in the morning, sharing a room. She drew out a pad and pencil, scratching a note for Sokka, leaving it on her unmade bed. By then Zuko was wrapping the scarf over his scar, securing the knot. "Let's go."

* * *

"I think your Uncle is a very honorable man," Katara said absently as they strolled along the Fire Nation streets, posing as civilians going about their daily lives. She paused at a vegetable stand afnd purchased a few melons, dropping them into the basket a disguised Zuko grudgingly held. "And talented," she added thoughtfully, "Girls love musicians."

It was early morning, the shops were just opening, tired shopkeepers surprised in finding that a pair was already out with their morning routines.

Zuko scoffed, rolling his golden eyes. "He's honorable, I'll give him that."

The waterbender scowled at him, purposefully dropping a cantaloupe with unnecessary force into the basket. "Show him more respect, did he teach you nothing?"

"He taught me to firebend," Zuko deadpanned.

"And nothing else," his counterpart snapped.

The prince huffed, moving the basket out of her grasp as she reached to drop in a few cabbages. "He taught me how to play the pipa," he said stubbornly, scowling at the memory. His uncle was certainly a fan of music. He used to find it annoying, especially when forced to sing or learn an instrument, but he grew to appreciate his uncle's interests.

"Is that all?"

"And the sungi horn," he added.

"You probably don't play either one very well, do you?" Katara said cynically as she led him away from the vegetable stand and towards the fruits.

Zuko scowled irritably, "Of course I do!"

She gave a sardonic laugh. "Music is art and you lack creativity."

"How do you know?" the firebender argued.

Katara only scoffed. "Show me then," she demanded, dropping a watermelon into the basket, causing the prince to lurch forward at the weight.

He quickly stabled himself. "Find me a sungi horn."

She patted the coins at her side, "Alright. I think we've got enough to spare on frivolous things," the bender declared. "Besides, we'll be working at the teashop. One sungi horn shouldn't clean us out." Zuko frowned after her as she headed away towards who-knows-where. She was so annoying, so condescending, maybe it was a bad idea to invite her out to _buy things_. He should have known – girls and shopping. Hadn't he learned from being around Ty Lee? He followed sulkily after her, but stopped short as he passed by a poster.

Snatching it from the wall, he gaped at the words, at the picture.

Katara glanced around to see him a way behind and marched up over to him, hands on hips. "What are you doing? We've got shopping to do!"

Zuko only shook his head, his face pale, visible eye confused.

She blinked, leaning over to read the poster. "_Reward: One-Million Five-Hundred Gold Pieces._ Hmm, I wonder what the _Blue Spirit_ did to make someone want to capture him so badly."

"What makes you think it's a 'he'?" Zuko asked at once, his fingers crinkling the paper.

Katara shrugged, "He just seems more like a guy, don't you think?"

"_No_, I don't think so," the prince snapped as he crumpled up the paper and tossed it away. "Come on, don't you have a sungi horn to buy?"

She eyed him warily for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah, I found an instrument shop, down that way—" Before she could even finish her sentence, he stalked away, down the street. Katara bent down and picked up the crumpled paper, smoothing it out to eye the poster. Without so much as a word, she folded it neatly, tucking it into her waist-band, and followed after the prince.

Zuko was much too distracted, much too tense as he walked. He couldn't get his mind off the poster (because they seemed to be everywhere, and how did he miss them earlier?) even as Katara badgered him about being horrible at haggling prices. They left the instrument shop with a sungi horn that cost almost twice as much as the price offered, but he couldn't be bothered with such trivial things. Not when someone was looking for him, not when another danger was thrown into the mix. But it was impossible. He tossed away that mask a long time ago, he relinquished the title of the _Blue Spirit_, and there was no evidence left to prove that it was him.

So why was he so worried?

"Do you know something about the Blue Spirit?" Katara asked suddenly, giving her counterpart a searching look.

Zuko frowned, tightening a fist about the basket handle, and turned away. "No. But I've heard of him." Katara watched as he bought something to eat from a cart, realizing that he acknowledged the Blue Spirit as a male. "He's probably just a menace anyways," the prince went on, "haven't heard much about him in awhile, though."

The vendor quirked a brow at the pair as he handed each of them what looked like a twisted croissant. "The Blue Spirit? Why, he _is_ a menace!" The old woman trilled, "He's been running around the Fire Nation causing nothing but trouble! Stealing food and money, he's a menace and he ought to be hung!"

Zuko very gracefully choked on air. "He _has_?"

The woman nodded solemnly. "Why, just the other day he was running a muck around _here_, causing havoc at the trading port. Knocked over a poor man's cart of cabbages—"

"Thank you," Zuko said at once before leaving, his steps quick and almost aggressive in the way his feet covered the distance.

"Z—Lee! The teashop's this way," Katara called after him, "Where are you going—?"

"To find myself."

* * *

**Chapter IX -- His Legacy ****_Excerpt_**

Katara was surprised by the softness of his voice, by the affectionate veneer that was such a pleasant change from his usual abrasive self but still so different and alarming, almost questionable. It didn't take her another second to deduce that they were caught. Not surprisingly, when she was about to reply, the booming voice of the other day's guard cut into their conversation.

"Well if it isn't the happy couple!" He greeted nonchalantly.

Katara had to will herself not to glare.

"What are you kids doing up so early?"


	9. His Legacy

**THIS** chapter was fun enough to write (though practically every chapter was fun to write). I'm not sure how well it will be received, but I can tell you now it's all following Zuko and Katara. I've strayed a bit from Aang's side - hope you guys don't mind. Since this story is Zutara-centric, I find it necessary to treat them as the main characters, rather than Aang. Anyways, there is a new introduction, a new OC that I will definitely warm up to, and hope you guys do, too C:

**NOW**, I'll admit I feel like I've lost a number of reviewers and/or readers, and it's a bit of a discouragement. I mean, I absolutely adore all of you who _have_ reviewed, and alerted/favorited this fic. It means so much that you guys are sticking around, you guys are _wonderful_ and I wouldn't even be working on this fic if it wasn't for all of you C: I know I haven't been keeping up with replying to all the reviews. I apologize for that, I've been...as you know, bogged down. But I'll start replying to them all again, starting with this chapter C: If any of you have ConCrit, please, feel free to share. It's very helpful. Otherwise, it's always nice to hear what you guys think. -as in review- :c0ugh:

* * *

**A C Q U I E S E N C E**

* * *

_"Why, just the other day he was running a muck around here, causing havoc at the trading port. Knocked over a poor man's cart of cabbages—"_

"_Thank you," Zuko said at once before leaving, his steps quick and almost aggressive in the way his feet covered the distance._

"_Z—Lee! The teashop's this way," Katara called after him, "Where are you going—?"_

"_To find myself."_

* * *

_**Chapter IX **_

**His Legacy**

* * *

**F**ind yourself?" Katara repeated cynically as she followed after the prince, "You're right here, in case you haven't noticed. And…and _father_ might be worrying!" Her eyes lifted up to the sky, noting the brightness, the stretch of clear blue between wisps of white. Of course, she doubted Sokka would be up yet, but her instincts told her that this was a bad idea, that this would get them into trouble. And trouble on the first day was never a good thing. She frowned, touching Zuko's shoulder, "Where are you _go_—?"

He spun around suddenly so that she had to stop dead in her tracks lest they collide, and the bender blinked up into his partly covered face. There was no anger on his features, no grim lines etching along his lips, on the contrary, he appeared quite normal, or as normal as Zuko could be, except for his eyes and the way they flared with something like purpose. "I'm sure your father will be fine by himself, you left him a note didn't you?" And his voice was deceptively caring, almost as if they really were discussing matters of his father-in-law, as if this wasn't about returning to their apartment to avoid detection and maybe being _killed_.

"You know how he worries," Katara replied, playing up her role as the daughter, the engaged. "He's old, I don't want him stressing over us – besides, he hates being alone…" Her hand squeezed lightly against his shoulder, sliding down to his forearm, and she shrugged, giving her alleged fiancé what she hoped was a warm smile. "You know how he gets," she said earnestly, imploringly, eyes widening with daughterly concern she feigned so well. Yet in her gaze was the implicit message, _Don't be stupid._

Zuko wasn't deterred. He pressed the basket into her hands, returning her warmest of smiles, and closed the space between them with an intimate nod. "Why don't you head back then," he suggested pleasantly, the drop of his voice almost caressing, "take the food home. I'll return later." His one visible eyebrow rose in a graceful and demanding arch, the corner of his lip twitching down as if to say, _Mind your own business_, but he played his own fondness well enough, to the point of getting under the female bender's skin.

How dare he parade around as if he was a doting fiancé!

She laughed, girlishly, but the tone lost much of the affection she hoped to convey. "And leave you out here alone? I suppose he'll have to wait, I'll come with you," and she forcibly smiled, tucking back his hair from his visible eye.

_Nice try._

The prince invariably scowled and turned, calling a gruff, "Fine," back to her as he stalked away in a simmering fit.

Katara followed him with a bit of a smirk on her lips despite the fact that he was still continuing with his plans. Because even though she was against Zuko exploring this quaint little precinct or otherwise possibly getting into trouble they really couldn't afford, she still found some small sense of pleasure out of making things more difficult for him. He deserved it, didn't he? For being such a jerk? She confirmed that yes, he did deserve it, and tailed after the firebender resolutely doing his best to ignore the water witch nipping at his heels.

It was embarrassing enough to have to pretend to be her intended, but actually playing the part made him feel sick inside in a way that nothing else ever had. His stomach was churning, and he felt either deathly hungry or full to the brink of regurgitation. Being that near to her made his head spin. Not that he'd ever let her _know_, she'd probably take it as a personal insult and give him an earful – a busted eardrum was something he'd rather not add onto the list of symptoms. Perhaps he simply wasn't accustomed to the living conditions granted to them. Maybe he's been away from home for too long, maybe he really was a pampered prince who could only be comfortable in the Fire Nation if he was back in the palace in his large bed with silk sheets and the softest of pillows…?

Or maybe it was something he ate.

Either way, Zuko was not feeling the best, and the smell of raw fish did nothing to ease his stomach.

They passed by the fish market, where vendors hung glistening seafood by the tails, filled bins with ice and set the clams and other shellfish onto the glacial beds. He wrinkled his nose at the scent. Zuko never was one to like fish very much, especially not the smell. He preferred meat, actual meat, cooked to perfect seasoning. The prince's stomach rumbled and he held a hand over it, flushing a little when Katara laughed. He turned to give her a severe scfowl, but the look of childish innocence on her face was enough to ease his nerves.

"You haven't touched your pastry," she said knowingly, gesturing to the bun on a stick he had yet to taste. "It's good," the bender added, waving her own cob in the air, "And I think you're stomach's aching for it." Zuko only blushed a further crimson as she laughed, hooking an arm through his. "Go on, eat, or you'll starve yourself before the wedding."

_Wedding_.

His eyes flashed for a moment, glinting with dangerous apprehension, before offering the girl on his arm a gracious smile. Bringing the pastry to his lips, he took a bite, making sure to chew it slowly (so as to avoid choking). They strolled together, arm in arm, taking no mind to the people around them, completely lost in each others' company, and Zuko tossed the stick away upon finishing his food, finding that his stomach certainly did feel better, and maybe it wasn't Katara that made him feel so sick afterall?

She wrenched away from him the moment they turned a corner, unhooking their arms.

The prince looked back where they came, not at all alarmed with her sudden repulsion. He scanned the area with a careful gaze, "Was it the guard?"

Katara rolled her eyes, "No. I just wondered what it would be like to loop my arm through yours," she answered sarcastically.

Zuko tensed at the suggestion, telling his traitorous brain to _stop_ whispering absurdities concerning himself and the nuisance waterbender.

"Yeah, I think he might be following us," the girl continued.

He nodded once, stiffly, visible golden eye glancing about. "Then it's best you don't suddenly jump away from me as if I've burnt your hand." A smile crossed his lips, challenging and maybe even a little amused, "I wouldn't do such a thing, I'm a perfect gentleman."

"Oh, good," the waterbender scoffed, hauling the weight of the basket into his chest, "You can start by carrying these."

Zuko took the basket into one hand with relative ease and peeked over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was the crimson plated guard, out of uniform, eating a ripe fruit as he moseyed on along the road. Without so much as a word, Zuko slipped his hand against Katara's, weaving their fingers together, and tugged her after him. "Let's go to the Trading Port, I know how much you love to bargain," he said in a tone that suggested an intent to be overheard.

"Why is he following us?" The girl inquired quietly, making sure not to glance back.

"I don't know, maybe it's because we're just a little suspicious? Talking about death and Azula yesterday in the middle of the damned street?" He hissed in turn, words conflicting with the way his hand fit so well in hers. He had to staunchly tell himself her soft skin was _not_ distracting in the least bit. "I knew he'd be trouble," the prince added grudgingly, keeping his eyes straight ahead. "I _knew_ it."

Katara frowned pensively after him, tightening her grip as a means of letting him know she resented that. "I'm sorry, alright?" She growled, a little hurt but moreso annoyed.

"Nevermind that," her companion answered at once, "_Sorry_ won't get him off our case."

_Our case_.

They were only one, a single situation concerning them both. It was…odd, to hear that phrase, knowing that it pertained to Zuko and herself, that they might be intertwined in something so covert, so essential. It was them against this man and whatever powers he brought with him, them against this district, these people. Just them.

_And Sokka_, she reminded herself pointedly, _and Sokka._

"So are we just going to keep avoiding him? That might seem even more suspicious."

Zuko nodded, "I know," but did nothing to change his pace.

"Where are we going, Lee?" She asked, using his alias. They finally slowed down, neither one daring to look behind. She had a sinking feeling that the guard was still there.

The prince turned to give her an encouraging smile, crooked and distant, as if he was lost in a different world, lost to her and to this moment. Her hand squeezed his, to bring him back, to anchor him with her now, because she couldn't handle this upset alone. Zuko's hand was warm and comforting and surprisingly gentle as he held hers, fragile and healing and dark in contrast. "To the Trading Port, there's something I need to take care of."

Katara was surprised by the softness of his voice, by the affectionate veneer that was such a pleasant change from his usual abrasive self but still so different and alarming, almost questionable. It didn't take her another second to deduce that they were caught. Not surprisingly, when she was about to reply, the booming voice of the other day's guard cut into their conversation.

"Well if it isn't the happy couple!" He greeted nonchalantly.

Katara had to will herself not to glare.

"What are you kids doing up so early?"

_Kids?_

She gave the man a smile, trying her best to imitate the geniality upon their first encounter. "We like to get an early start on the day," the bender answered, snaking an arm around Zuko's elbow, keeping their hands locked. "_Rise with the sun_, that's his motto."

Zuko nodded, recovering from the shock that Katara remembered his words. "The early sparrowkeet gets the worm-mole," he answered smoothly.

The guard chuckled, "Too true, son, too true."

_Son?_

"Well, we'll just be on our way—" Katara began, but Zuko gave her a look.

"Don't be silly, darling," the word left his lips so naturally that she fought back a gape at the way his flawlessly silken tone betrayed nothing but pure admiration. "Would you like to come with us? We're just off to the Trading Ports." He gave an uncharacteristic laugh, gesturing to the soon-to-be 'wife.' "She can't go through a day without haggling."

The man shook his head, hiding evident confusion. "Uh, no, no. Thanks for the invite, though. I should be getting to my post, actually…"

"Oh well, have a good day, then." And with that, Zuko led his intended away from the sentinel who was eyeing them both with something more curiosity.

Only when they were out of ear-shot did Katara finally venture to speak. "You invited him along?" She snapped, prodding a finger into his chest, "What were you _thinking_?"

"I was _thinking_ that he wouldn't come if we asked him to join us," Zuko replied, prying her hand away.

"And if he did?"

"Then we'd have to bear a morning of being _nice_ to each other."

Katara did _not_ appreciate his snippy tone.

"I'm always nice!"

He didn't bother with an answer.

"I _am_," The waterbender insisted, tugging lightly at his arm. "When you're not being an insufferable jerk, anyway."

He seemed mildly amused by this even as he dropped her hand with stone-cold dignity. A sardonic smile graced his lips, tilting up the corners, "You're the one who said _yes_."

Katara had to refrain from socking him in the face, "Actually, I had absolutely no say in the matter, if you _recall_."

The prince gave her a teasing grin. "Are you angry because I haven't gotten you a ring?" He taunted, warming up to his role. There was some sense of satisfaction to be had, knowing he was able to ruffle her feathers so.

"You're impossible!" The waterbender cracked.

Zuko shrugged with a careless shoulder. Hell, it was true. He was a handful for his uncle, for his subordinates, for his own father and sister…it didn't surprise him at all, not even in the slightest, that a particularly begrudging _water_bender might find reasons to pick fights. Instead, he inclined his head to the side, lifting a brow in a way that would have seemed charismatic if not for the fact that this was _Zuko_—

(And that Katara could never find anything _he_ did as even remotely charming.)

"—How about I make it up to you with a little present, then?"

(Not even _that_).

She balked at the idea of material appeasement. "Do I seem so superficial?" She challenged, gaze icing over.

Zuko could have sworn that he saw a storm brewing in their blue depths.

"You think you can buy my trust, just like that?"

He all but showed remorse, "Only you could turn a gesture of kindness into a personal insult."

"And only you could turn a gesture of kindness into a scam with ulterior motives!" Katara quipped in turn.

"Is making you happy such a terrible ulterior motive?"

The girl blinked, parting her lips to answer that _yes_, it _was_, when it dawned on her that…_no_. It _wasn't_. And that only succeeded in getting the South Pole bender all the more irritated. "Ugh, _stop it_!" She groaned, wiping a hand over her face in aggravation. "Just—just go do whatever it is you're here to do and let's go back."

Zuko had to refrain from asking '_Stop what?'_ if only because she seemed stretched to her limits already, and though he found sport in baiting her (just like she found it equally as amusing baiting _him_, and may lightning strike her if she even dare deny that!) he knew when to stop. They were still teammates, afterall, her reluctance and contempt aside. "You don't have to tail me, you know," he said lightly, fishing in his pocket for a few coin pieces, "You can look around if you want—"

Katara gave him a meaningful look, "No. We need to stick together here."

He wasn't sure how to interpret her words, the meaning behind them, or the look of concerned affection in her eyes – it was so different from the scorn she maintained. He removed his hand from the pocket and pressed the gold coins into her palm. "Well then take it, and we'll look around together. I promised new things, didn't I?"

The waterbender blinked down at the few gold pieces sitting in her hand, bright against her darker tone. Since when did Zuko ever keep his promises? But she smiled, at least trying to keep up this politeness for as long as they could manage, and nodded. "Well, then I'll need more money than _this_."

Zuko grinned and handed her the entire pouch. "Not even married yet and already you're cleaning me out."

She only laughed.

"Excuse me, you dropped this, ma'am!" A young voice called after the pair.

Katara turned to see a small child with dark hair and large golden eyes waving something in the air, a folded little piece of paper. Her fingers brushed over her waistband. Realizing what the little boy held, she gave him a smile. "Oh, thank you," she crooned sweetly as he handed the poster, his hand much paler than hers in comparison, pale and small and marred a little with dirt.

He beamed, flashing a gap-toothed smile, "Welcome, lady!"

Zuko arched a brow at his affianced. "What did you drop?"

"Just, a piece of paper…" the waterbender answered with a dismissive shrug.

"It's a poster of the Blue Spirit!"

Zuko turned onto Katara with a fixed scowl. "What are you doing with that poster—?"

"He's the coolest _ever!_" The boy gushed, "I met him once! He gave me food!"

Experienced golden eyes met the youthful insouciant gaze. Zuko crouched down lower, meeting the little boy's height as best he could. "You _met_ this fiend?"

"He's no fiend!" The little villager defended of his hero, "He's good!"

"According to everyone else, he's nothing but a menace," Katara reasoned, but the little boy shook his head with loyal vehemence. She smiled at him, at his exuberance, and bent low, resting her hands on her knees. "You admire him quite a bit, don't you?"

The child nodded resolutely. "M_hmm_," he hummed, eyes wide. "He's a _hero_."

"A hero?" Zuko echoed cynically, confused and maybe a little too interested with the matter at hand for it to be normal. "How so?"

"He steals from the rich to—"

"Give to the poor," Katara finished, glancing inquisitively over at her counterpart. "Like the Kissing Bandit in the Earth Kingdom." She remembered the girl well, the earthbending femme fatale whose modus operandi kept her from ever being imprisoned. The bandit, known by a select few as Jo, tried to steal from Katara once, and she water-whipped the thief away, only to realize that Jo meant no harm. The bandit placed a red-imprinted kiss upon her victims…

Zuko frowned, "I don't remember any Kissing Bandit."

"No, you were too busy looking for the—"

His glare silenced her.

"Little boy—" the prince began, but the child shook his head.

"Daichi!" He announced proudly, "My name's Daichi!"

"Daichi, then," Zuko amended, "when did you see the Blue Spirit last?"

The boy pursed his lips together, eyebrows furrowing as he wracked his brain for an answer. "He…" Daichi began thoughtfully, wrinkling his nose in thought, "He was just around here yesterday," the child said slowly, "Last I remember, he was by the warehouse. I've tried to get in, but there's no way inside."

"How are you so sure he's in there?" Katara inquired.

Daichi only beamed, his golden eyes glinting with a familiar mischief, "I followed him!"

* * *

"I don't see anything," Katara called down at the firebender who was giving her a boost. She stood on Zuko's shoulders, his hands clasped around each of her ankles, as she tried to peer through dusted glass into the abandoned warehouse.

Daichi had shown them where the warehouse was, but Zuko urged him to run along elsewhere, giving him a few copper pieces to spend on whatever he wished. The little boy was let down in missing out on seeing his hero, but Zuko assured him that they'd personally see to it that the Blue Spirit would visit.

Katara had to tell herself that this was _Zuko_ being kind to a child, and that her heart was only beating so fast because she was excited to meet the notorious Blue Spirit herself.

The doors were all bolted shut, even the windows were boarded to keep the light out, or the darkness in. She couldn't see a thing. "There's no movement as far as I can tell," the waterbender said, scowling as she squinted through the pane. Only shadows met her narrowed gaze, "It figures. I didn't think the Blue Spirit would allow a child to follow him."

Zuko scoffed, "You sound as if you know him."

"Who, Daichi?"

"No, the Blue Spirit."

A thoughtful pause, and then, "I feel like I do."

The prince's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately let her down, without so much as a warning. Katara stumbled with the landing, but he steadied her, a frown carved into the visible parts of his face. "You can't know someone you've never met," he said stiffly.

She only quirked a brow, challenging the look in his eyes, golden and final. "You don't know that, maybe I have?"

"You _haven't_," Zuko persisted, a bit more forcefully this time. His fingers dug into her forearms, possibly bruising her dark flesh, "Don't be stupid." Katara cringed at his tightened hold, and he immediately released her. "Come on, this was a waste of time. Shouldn't have listened to that kid…"

"Don't be so hard on him, he was just trying to help."

"How am I being hard on him? I'm just saying we shouldn't have listened."

Katara watched him turn on his heel and pick up the basket of fruits and vegetables resting by the wall. The set of his shoulders told her of his irritation, his overt sense of inadequacy that, for some reason, managed to grip her heart. She touched her arms, where his fingers pressed into them, wondering if distinct fingerprints would discolor her skin, and then decided it wasn't important. Clearly this was of some significance to Zuko, and he was dully disappointed. That bothered her to a surprising extent. "Lee—"

Not even a step away when a door creaked open.

She glanced over her shoulder, crystalline eyes seeing only blackness through the crack. "L-Lee…" she whispered taking a step backwards, eyeing a looming shadow crouched by the threshold. A flittering bird song, and she was stunned, "_Lee—!_"

"_What?_" Zuko snapped, spinning around to glare at the girl who seemed completely unaware of his current mood – only to find that she was gone. "Katara?" He mentally cursed in having used her name. "Sa?" He frowned, and something not unlike panic took hold of him. "Where'd you go?" He muttered to himself, walking briskly back over to where he saw her last. The alleyway was deserted, just as before, but she was no where to be seen. Amber glare spanning the area, his eyes narrowed at the barely-open door that was previously boarded shut. "Katara?" The prince whispered, stepping forward, fisting his free hand, prepared to fight if need be.

It wasn't needed, however, as a hushed whisper emerged from the sliver of darkness peering through the crack. "_Fire Prince Zuko._"

The firebender scowled, hating the name he used to be so proud of. He took a threatening step forward, "Who are you?"

The door widened, and there, at the threshold, was the familiar demonic mask that was once his preferred guise. "_The Blue Spirit_."

Before he knew it, he was barraged by a hoard of warriors and dragged into the warehouse, door shutting behind him with such swiftness that the only sign of a disturbance in the alley was the forgotten basket of produce.

"Let me _go_!" He growled, tossing the arms aside and preparing to shoot a blast of fire.

"Zuko, don't!"

He turned, facing a 'captured' Katara, bound and propped on a crate. She seemed unharmed; in fact, she didn't appear to be at all worried or surprised, let alone tussled. "What's going—?" But he couldn't even finish his question when rope was tied tightly about his wrists. He might have struggled (_would_ have struggled…and tossed those damned combatants on their behinds) had it not been for the knowing look in the waterbender's eyes. Wide and blue, imploring. He submitted, scowling as he was brought to sit down beside her on the crate, sulking in being confined, and by (now that he got a good look at the little muggers) a cluster of _children!_

How humiliating.

He sent a pointed glare Katara's way, and she gave him momentous look, one that spoke volumes of how important this was to _her_. Well, why should he be so accommodating when she expressed little interest in what was important to _him_? Nevertheless, Zuko kept his mouth shut, silently begrudging his capacity to _care_.

"What do you want with us?" Katara asked in a controlled voice, diplomatic almost.

Their captor, the infamous _Blue Spirit_, was much…_shorter_, than either of them would have pictured him to be. He barely stood to Zuko's chest, but proudly held his posture, trumping over the band of ragamuffin kids he had doing his dirty work. "We'll be asking the questions here," the masked being answered in a familiar voice.

Katara peered through the eyeholes, trying to see those eyes, trying to match them to a face. "Ask away," she said benignly enough.

The kids were at a loss.

"We'll be the ones deciding when to ask!" One of them exclaimed, prodding her with a stick.

The waterbender frowned at him.

"Stop it," the Blue Spirit ordered, "Go. All of you. Go get food. Leave these two to me."

"What're you g'na do to 'em, Chief?" A young girl inquired.

"Something so horrible you are all too young to even imagine it."

A round of snickers emerged from the group, before they darted out of the warehouse to purge the markets for food. The Blue Spirit was left behind, watching his two captives through dark eyes. "Why were you two looking into here?" He asked in a muffled voice, "Of what interest was this warehouse to you?"

Zuko was the one to answer, "I was in search of the Blue Spirit."

"I didn't realize my reputation preceded me."

"It doesn't."

"Shut up! Who are you to talk?"

He toyed with the notion of revealing himself as the Blue Spirit, but decided against it.

The impersonator took his silence as surrender and returned his attention to the Water Tribe peasant currently studying him. "What?" He demanded adamantly, "What is it? I should gouge your eyes out for staring! Do you know who you're dealing with?"

Katara only shrugged, "A rogue freedom fighter?"

The masked thief hesitated, muscles tensing beneath his tunic. "I don't know what you're—"

"Strange things, birds," the bender continued, "I can imagine how they might be abundant in the forests, but in the middle of a Fire Nation city? I'm surprised."

Zuko was completely lost and only glanced from one to the other. What was she going on about with this bird business?

But the Blue Spirit faltered. "Birds?"

Katara nodded, "Birds."

And the captor smacked a hand onto the mask of his forehead. _Of course_. The bird-call cues. He heaved a sigh, knowing the jig was up, knowing all-too well that the situation was turned around. He removed his mask, slowly, tentatively, revealing a face of tomboyish features.

"You're a _girl_?"

But poor, confused Zuko was bleakly ignored.

"Why, Katara? Why are you traveling with _that_ scum?" The impersonator demanded, glaring scathingly at the fire prince.

"It's been awhile," the bender said gently, eyeing the familiar face watching her. She was trapped in an abandoned warehouse, held hostage by a girl much younger than her but with perhaps just as much life experience, independence. She wondered how she escaped, how she's managed to survive on her own for so long.

"What are you doing, prancing around the Fire Nation—are the rumors true? Are you two actually engaged—?"

"_No!_" Both captives exclaimed at once.

The 'Blue Spirit' only frowned, walking down an invisible line. Back and forth and back again, like a moving target. "So then what?" She queried, "What're you doing with him?"

"Do you keep in touch with the others?" Katara inquired of her faux captor, her friend.

The girl scowled, "Don't change the subject!" She was clearly displeased, if her pacing was any indication. "I can't just let you go now that you know it's me," she muttered under her breath. "And how dare you side with _him_," her finger pointed accusingly at the prince who was only sitting through this to humor the waterbender who implored him to play along. "After everything he's done! Don't you realize it's his fault? Everything's his fault!"

"I'm sorry you're alone, but that's _not _my fault," Zuko said evenly.

"Shut up!" She exclaimed, throwing the demonic mask towards him so that it skidded across the floor. "It's your fault Jet's gone! It's your fault he's dead!"

Katara winced at the mention of Jet, at the memory of his defeat. "Smellerbee..."

The freedom fighter collapsed onto the floor, and for the first time in a long time, shed hopeless tears.

"Jet…?" Zuko repeated pensively, scrounging his memory for a face and—ah. The boy he met on the ship when he was on his way to the Earth Kingdom. "Oh."

"Yes _oh_!" Smellerbee shrilled angrily, lifting herself up from the ground enough to glare at him. "The guy _you_ turned into the authorities!"

"You _what_?" Katara gasped in turn, looking over at her companion.

Zuko cringed at the accusation. "I had no choice," he answered calmly, "He threatened me and Uncle. He wanted to reveal us as Fire Nation citizens. Wanted to blow our cover."

"So you turned him in!" Smellerbee growled, launching herself at the prince who was not quite defenseless. "His life in exchange for _yours_, you filthy Fire Nation scum!"

"Smellerbee, no!" The waterbender intervened, drenching the girl in a wave of water. "You don't understand!"

The freedom fighter blinked at her former ally-turned-enemy-turned-ally-turned-enemy. "How dare you! How dare you besmirch Jet's memory by walking around as comrades with this trash!" She declared sordidly, thoroughly enraged, "He died for you! He _died_ for you, don't you _get_ it?"

Katara only remained silent.

Smellerbee laughed, sarcastic and biting. "The only thing I don't understand is how you could turn your back on Jet after everything he's done to help you. He gave up his _life_, for _you_. Don't you realize just what he's sacrificed? What we've all been put through from his death?" Tears streamed callously down her muddied cheeks. Katara didn't remember ever seeing her cry. Nor could she recall anyone every mentioning that she's _ever_ cried. "He's _gone_! And _you're_ here, playing house with his murderer—!"

"I didn't kill him!" Zuko persisted.

"You shut up!" The freedom fighter screamed, pointing at the firebender. "It _is_ your fault! Whether you admit it or not! It's _your_ fault!"

Zuko couldn't decide what was worse, the hard-headedness of his apparent captor, or the look of disappointment in Katara's eyes.

Katara looked away.

And he realized, disappointment won out.

"Katara—"

"_Don't_," she whispered quietly, refusing to look at him, refusing to see the apprehension, the guilt, on his face, because then she would feel ashamed for hating him. And she didn't want to give up that feeling quite yet. "Don't bother, Zuko." She understood, of course, why he was forced into turning Jet in. From what she knew, the deceased leader took hatred for Fire Nation to the extremes…it didn't surprise her in the least bit that he might have tried to sabotage Zuko and Iroh. But even so, the thought that Zuko might have been the one to have sent Jet down there, under Ba Sing Se…

"He didn't _tell_ you?" Smellerbee jeered cynically, wiping at her tears with a furious hand. "Didn't want to own up to his crime? Why bother hiding the truth, oh Royal Pain?" The girl taunted, "Didn't want to disillusion your little waterbender prize?"

"Smellerbee," Katara stated, low and harsh, her voice controlled. "Jet…" she nipped at her lip, fidgeting on the crate, choosing her words with care, "Jet..." She lifted her eyes to get a good look of the girl who was much younger but suffered through just as much pain as she had. Her face, though dirtied and moist and young and boyish, was close to that of a woman's. "He was charming, and someone any girl could be fond of," the waterbender admitted quietly, almost shyly, eyes searching her female counterpart. "He…he died fighting for the good."

"And look how you've shown your thanks," the freedom fighter spat ruefully, giving Zuko the evil eye.

"Zuko…he's just the same."

"_What? _How can you even begin to compare Jet to this bas—!"

Katara shrugged, peering over at her companion, at the dejected look on his face, at the way he was avoiding her eyes. "He's on the good side, now, too," she said warily, "He's on the Avatar's side. Just like Jet was. Except…except he hasn't yet done what he needs to do. Jet did. Jet gave up his life to help us. And I don't doubt that Zuko would do the same. They're not so different."

Smellerbee frowned. "He's charmed you. What was it, sweet words or little presents?"

"He hasn't!" Katara argued, "I hate him!"

Zuko rolled his eyes.

"But…I know that if it came down to it, Zuko would…Zuko would…"

"—Chief!"

The trio jerked around at the yell as the ruffians fled into the warehouse.

Smellerbee immediately turned to erase any indication of tears, "What are you guys doing back so soon?"

"Your mask!"

"Nevermind the mask," she snapped, scowling at the circle of kids. Her eyes settled on each of their faces, hopeful and young and inexperienced. Sheltered from the harsh realities the three eldest in the room have all faced. She debated her actions, her thoughts, her words, thought over what Jet would do, what he might want. She wasn't there for his dying words, didn't get to hear them – all she remembered was that he was speaking with Katara, she was trying to heal him, doing her best to set his fatal wounds. Save his life. These children, the ones that followed her with blind faith, just as she trailed after Jet, they had no idea what they were really up against. She used to be one of them.

Blissfully unaware of just how cruel the world could be.

Despite her losses, being orphaned by the Fire Nation, she still found that sense of security, youthful liberty, with her family, with the freedom fighters. The prospect of Jet actually dying never struck her until it happened, and suddenly, life wasn't just all fun and games anymore. Somewhere along the line of her escape from the catacombs of Ba Sing Se, to finding herself in this city, taking on a false identity and resolving to continue Jet's work – messing with the Fire Nation, she matured, grew up. Knew the adversities of life and the foolishness of naïveté.

She met Katara's gaze, wide and blue, pleading and sincere.

Undoubtedly, Jet's death affected her as well.

They were but two girls caught in the crossfire, fighting for what they believed, fighting for justice and freedom and _peace_.

Smellerbee let a small grin tug up the edges of her chapped lips. "Come, meet our new allies."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Sokka started as he eyed the children currently running around their already too-small apartment. "You two went to the market to buy breakfast, and you come back with a dozen _boys_?" He blinked, staring incredulously at the guilty-looking pair (or, rather, Katara looking a bit uneasy and Zuko appearing quite unperturbed), "And no _food_?"

He yelped when a small girl punched him in the shin.

"And girls!" She huffed.

The warrior stared down into her tomboyish face, so young and barely even eight, before directing a glare the duo's way. "That's it. I'm doing the shopping from now on," he said flatly.

Katara laughed. "No, you don't understand," she said, closing the door behind her once the last of the kids entered. "They can help us," she reasoned, giving her brother an imploring look.

Sokka only let out a ghost of a laugh, resembling a hysterical exhale more than amusement. "I _understand_ that you and Zuko took what I said yesterday too literally," the boy deadpanned. "Look, if this is to get back at me for cracking that joke – which was _hilarious_, by the way – then haha, you got me. Now…bring these rascals back to their parents before we get charged for kidnapping."

But his sister didn't bat an eye. "They're staying with us," Katara answered.

Sokka raised a brow, arms folded over his chest. "Why?" He prompted, stretching the word as if speaking to two year olds. And he might as well have been.

"Well…you see—"

Zuko scowled, "They're orphans."

The warrior scoffed, tossing his hands into the air. "Oh, I get it. You two are going around gathering children. You'll be known as Monk Zuko and Sister Katara, the Orphan-Collectors!"

Katara slapped a hand to her forehead.

"Did you guys even consider how hard it might be to stay under the radar with a bunch of kids tailing us everywhere we go?" Sokka prompted, lifting a tactful brow. "I mean, a band of screaming children isn't exactly _discreet_."

The fire prince rolled his eyes. "They're skilled pick-pockets."

"You've got them doing your dirty work for you, _too_?" He asked dubiously.

His sister had to abstain from smacking some senses into him. "No—Sokka—"

The warrior shook his head stubbornly, raising his hands, palms facing them, as a gesture of strong-willed resilience. "Nope, nuh uh. I'm not hearing any of it. Take those kids back wherever you found them, Katara. They are _not_ our responsibility."

"Well of course not," an abrasive voice answered from the door, "They're _my_ responsibility."

Sokka whirled around at the intrusion to see Smellerbee grinning at the entrance, a straw perched between her lips in memory of the deceased Freedom Fighter leader.

She grinned, "How'ya doin', Ponytail?"

Sokka had to blink and stare at her a full second before it dawned on him. "Smellerbee?"

The girl laughed, "Still a little slow in the head, are you?" She said coolly, stepping into the cramped apartment. "You haven't changed one bit, Ponytail."

Katara shrugged when he glanced back at her. "We ran into her at the Trading Port."

"_Run in_ is an understatement," the freedom fighter added, but gave something of a smile. "Anyway, I figure we could be of some assistance to your cause."

"Oh?" Sokka questioned, studying the girl before him with dark choppy hair and equally dark eyes.

"Ay," she answered lazily, in that hoarsely feminine voice of hers, "I know this district like the back of my hand."

The warrior scoffed. "How well could that be? You can't even see the back of your hand with all that dirt." For some reason, a pang of _something_ tugged against his heart at the remark, and he dismissed the memory of a pale-eyed earthbender with a sharp-tongue.

Smellerbee scowled. "You'd better watch it, Ponytail. These kids'll do whatever I tell'em."

He chuckled, "What, liked trained penguins?"

"_Sick'im_."

A unified sigh hung between Zuko and Katara as Sokka was buried beneath a mountain of kids.

"I take it back! I take it back!

The opposing benders rolled their eyes, sharing a simultaneous thought.

_Idiot._

* * *

**Chapter X -- Tête-à-Tête** **_Excerpt_**

Katara couldn't hide the smile from her face as the boy tugged repeatedly at his shirt. The fire prince appeared quite annoyed, but did his best to be polite as he glanced back down at the golden-eyed pest sporting coal hair, and let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Daichi, what is it?" He asked keeping his tone under control.

The little boy beamed at his idol, immediately letting go of his shirt's hem. "Are we there yet?"

The waterbender burst into a fit of giggles, and Zuko shot her a withering glare, before answering that _no_, they were _not_ there yet, 'there' was very far away, and it would take at least half a day's traveling to get _there_, and they've only been walking for _fifteen minutes!_

Daichi preoccupied himself with kicking a pebble, and Katara gave Zuko a snide grin.

"_Lee, Lee, Lee_," she mocked.

The prince scowled. "Don't. Start."

* * *


	10. Tête à Tête

**CHAPTER** 10 is here! I'd like to thank all of you who have kept this story going all the way through to double digits C: If it wasn't for you guys I wouldn't have gotten this far into the fic, and I really appreciate all of your support and feedback. It's all very encouraging, really it is. I was hoping to make this chapter uber special because it's **10**, so it's filled with Zutara-bonding (because the _Boiling Rock_ episodes were totally hinting at future _MaiKo_ and I needed to reinforce the Zutaraness D: !), a time skip of about a week, a peek at Aang and Toph, and the very first appearance of Azula. Quite a few turns take place in this chapter, so sit back, enjoy, and I'd love it endlessly if you could tell me what you think. This chapter took me the longest to actually get up, for some reason. It took me three days to work on, and I'd definitely appreciate any ConCrit or comments you have C: I think I've responded to all my reviews, if not, just yell and I'll be sure to yell back :D

* * *

**A C Q U I E S E N C E**

* * *

_Smellerbee scowled. "You'd better watch it, Ponytail. These kids'll do whatever I tell'em."_

_He chuckled, "What, liked trained penguins?"_

"Sick'im."

_A unified sigh hung between Zuko and Katara as Sokka was buried beneath a mountain of kids._

"_I take it back! I take it back!_

_The opposing benders rolled their eyes, sharing a simultaneous thought._

Idiot.

* * *

**_Chapter X_ **

**Tête-à-Tête**

* * *

**T**hanks again for the food, Yu," Sokka said sincerely from his seat on the hardwood floor. The old man grinned at the threshold, tray emptied of all the bowls and glasses he carried up to the apartment. A cramped room of seven children, Smellerbee, Sokka, Katara and Zuko with only one bed and a single bathroom...it would be a little better than _hell_ living in that place. But apparently such concerns were out of the warrior's mind as he stuffed his face with Fire Nation grub. He ignored Zuko's comment that the food might be a little _spicier_ than he's used to, and after a minute of binging, Sokka yelped out, fanning his tongue and looking desperately for something to drink, knocking someone else's glass over in the process.

Yu chuckled, shaking his head. "Not the brightest of the bunch, is he?" He inquired of Katara, who sighed in mild embarrassment. "I'll bring up some more water," he offered, turning back out the door. "Take it easy there, son," he cautioned of the warrior, "Don't want to burn yourself."

Zuko grinned at the irony and snickered into his bowl of pickled cucumbers laced with mild spices. Sokka was much too preoccupied with quenching his monstrous thirst to hear, and the prince couldn't hide the self-satisfied smile. He parted his chopsticks, picking up a single cucumber with practiced precision. "I _told_ you it would be hot," he said lightly to his male comrade.

Sokka scowled, "I should have known. Everything in this Nation is hot!"

Katara snorted into her glass of water, "_Everything_, Sokka?" She teased, eyes glinting with mischief.

"The weather, the streets, the food, the tea—"

"The people?" Smellerbee supplied. The children broke out into spurts of giggles, even Zuko and Katara couldn't seem to resist. Smellerbee grinned, lifting a fried snail-toad from a bowl with her fingers and plopped it into her mouth. "Is Yu hot, too, Ponytail? Is Your-Royal-Highness over there?"

Sokka reddened. "Hey, I never said--"

His sister only laughed, "What, is it getting too hot for you?"

"It's Zuko!" Smellerbee exclaimed with that wicked smile, "Sokka can't take the heat!"

"What?" the warrior spluttered incredulously, "Zuko's not making me hot!"

Katara guffawed at the thought, teasingly pushing against the younger girl's shoulder. "_Zuko?_"

She only smirked, "Look at _you_, Princess, acting all innocent."

"What's that supposed to mean!"

"Look at that blush!" the freedom fighter accused. "You're blushing at the thought of the Fire-Pest!"

"It's the food!" She defended, "It's too spicy!" It was Katara's turn to fade red, and she lowered her eyes to her bowl of rice and pickled-plum. She suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable, but should have seen this coming. She stabbed at a piece, her chopstick sticking clean through the fruit. To her right she noticed Zuko fidget, clearly irritated with the sudden turn of conversation.

His own face was heating up at the implications, and he shifted awkwardly. Why was _he_ the subject at hand? Why did it have to be _him_? He scowled into his food, trying to banish the thoughts of either _one_ of the Water Tribe siblings having _any_thing for him, but found it only managed to make him flush all the more. Not so much the thought of _Sokka_ (that was just painfully ridiculous), but the thought of _Katara_. Because she was very much female and he was very much male and hey, they were 'engaged' and brought home half a dozen kids.

The firebender cursed himself for blushing.

Smellerbee laughed loudly, her lackeys following suit (though clearly they didn't understand just _what_ was so funny) and wiped a tear away from her eye. "The Wonder Twins both vying for the Prince's affection," the girl said mostly to herself. She elbowed Zuko, grinning amusedly at the siblings. "It's too bad no one told 'em that you're asexual, eh?"

Before Katara could reply that she was _not_ vying for the firebender's affection, Sokka exclaimed in a rather final voice, "I do _not_ have the hots for Zuko!"

"—Did I interrupt something?"

Sokka swiveled around to see Yu standing at the door, a tray of water in his hands. His expression betrayed surprise and mild hilarity at the situation. It was a pleasant change to have life in these parts, in his apartment housing. The neighbors were old grouches too lazy to come down and get tea and often complained about the lack of aesthetic appeal. They were irritating and did nothing to help the teashop's condition – maybe if they paid their darned _rent_ once in awhile…

"Nothing important," the warrior answered tersely, getting up to help bring the tray inside (making an exaggerated effort not to step on the kids littered around). "Just Smellerbee being—"

The freedom fighter in question narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat, arching a single brow as if to say '_Didn't you learn your lesson?'_

Sokka coughed as he set the tray down in the center of the room, "—a perfect guest and engaging conversationalist." He glanced back at Yu, "Do you need any help down at the shops?" He offered pleadingly, "I think you need help."

The older man blinked, "Mm…no, not really. We don't get many customers—"

"What's that, Yu? You _do_! Well, I'll help you, Yu!" And he laughed at his own joke as he left the room where the children were eyeing the warrior, waiting for Smellerbee to give them the _go_.

Smellerbee laughed, "You're related to that guy, Princess?"

Katara rolled her eyes, reaching for a glass of water. "According to our parents, yeah."

"You're lucky," the younger girl commented, "to have family with you."

Everyone got quiet, the children eating their meals, all of them accustomed to the spices. They were content enough, scattered on the floor, eating with their hands, sharing glasses of water, like one large family. But they weren't one large family, Zuko reminded himself as he set his chopsticks down, they were orphans. All of them. A part of him wondered what family Smellerbee might have had, a part of him wanted to ask, wanted to know – but a larger part of him respected her privacy (and a small part of him didn't want to know what _his_ nation did).

"I am…aren't I?" The waterbender said gently, eyes moving over to the door where her brother left. "As annoying as he can be sometimes, I don't know what I'd do without Sokka."

Smellerbee grinned, "I used to have an older sister."

"Did you?"

"Yeah, she was a pain."

Katara scoffed, shaking her head. "All siblings are."

"But it's worth it in the end, isn't it?" Smellerbee commented.

"Not always."

All eyes settled on the fire prince who set his bowl aside, stacking one atop the other to make room for the children who were trying to stretch their legs. Smellerbee knew not to question the matter further and let the subject drop without much reluctance. It was a touchy topic, anyway. A solemn expression was on Zuko's face, golden eyes thoughtfully lowered as he set the emptied dishes onto the tray. He worked absently, accustomed to clearing up after a meal, and Katara watched him, noting the little things.

The way he'd gently nudge a child's foot to the side to grab a forgotten chopstick, or the way he'd grin when he'd ask for a plate someone else was sitting on. The way he sounded almost loving towards these children, these orphaned youths. He said nothing more from his initial statement, nothing pertaining to the conversation, anyways, and stood from his spot on the floor, doing one more visual scan of the room to see if he missed anything.

He would make a wonderful brother, she realized, if ever given the opportunity. But clearly he was never given that chance, not with a sister like Azula. She wondered if perhaps Zuko would have been better off with a normal sibling, or at least no sister at all. She wondered how he might have turned out, but came to the conclusion that he would either be even more abrasive and unforgiving (being the only child and therefore the named heir, the prodigy) or be more trusting of people, more open to affection.

Katara studied him, the trained impassive look on his face, and slowly picked herself up off the ground. "Need any help?"

And he gave her a smile, gesturing for her to take an overturned glass, "Yeah."

* * *

Sokka took one look at the room, at all the children battling over the bed, and rested his hands on his hips. "Yeah, this isn't going to work."

Katara gave him a scathing glare, clearly stressed with the yelling and fighting and crying and bullying and _I'm older so I should get this!_ and the rebuttals of _We're smaller so more of us can fit!_ They were driving her insane and she couldn't imagine what it must be like for Smellerbee – until she realized that Smellerbee was _part_ of the scuffle.

The fire prince stood on Sokka's other side, staring with widened eyes at the scene before them. "Shouldn't someone do something?" He asked of his two companions.

"What do you propose we _do_?" Katara asked, exasperated, "Put them all in Time-Out?"

Zuko scowled, "Well, we should do _something_ before they tear the only bed to shreds!"

Sokka snapped his fingers. "I've got it!" And marched forward to command the kids' attention.

The benders shared wary glances.

"Do you really think he's got it?" Zuko asked of his counterpart.

Katara only shook her head, "This won't end well."

"The children aren't mature enough to handle diplomatic solutions…"

"They're much too immature to listen and do what's easiest," the waterbender agreed.

Her brother demanded their focus and pointed sternly at the group. "There are a lot of you, and only one bed. The only fair solution is that _none_ of you get the bed. This is _our_ apartment," and he gestured back to Zuko and Katara who were counting down the seconds before Sokka became _part_ of the tussle, "and _we_ should get the bed."

The duo gaped.

"_Share_ the bed with _him?_" Katara exclaimed in disgust, pointing at the firebender whose expression mirrored hers perfectly. "Are you crazy?"

Zuko shook his head, "No way—that's stupid."

"We won't _fit!_" Katara reasoned.

"I'll probably be kicked off!" Zuko added.

Not good.

"Are you saying that I'll hog up the space?" The waterbender retorted.

Her counterpart scowled, "Hey, wait a minute, I never said that!"

"You're saying I'll kick you off the bed!" She shrilled, clearly offended, "How immature do you think I am?"

Zuko scoffed, "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"_Children!_" Smellerbee yelled over the quarrel that ensued. Sokka was seated at the foot of the bed, the orphans around him, some leaning against his leg, others sitting on his lap, one watching from over his head. The freedom fighter scowled at the pair, "Shut _up_, you're giving me a headache! That's the only logical solution. There are too many kids on the floor for any of you to sleep here as well. And if one kid gets the bed, then they all want it. So suck it up, do your part, and quit complaining, geez!"

Zuko and Katara were mutely affronted.

And Smellerbee rounded onto Sokka, "How do you put up with them?"

Sokka sighed, giving a nonchalant shrug. "I'm so used to it, I can't sleep at night without hearing them fight."

* * *

Needless to say, that night was particularly difficult for Katara. Her brother was beside her, snoring contently into her left ear, and Zuko was at her right, back turned towards her, his body much too warm to be so close. Obviously she kicked and screamed her way out of the middle (figuratively speaking of course), but she didn't rebel enough because there she was, sandwiched between the two males – one doing his best to dominate the left side of the bed, and the other…well, the other peacefully sleeping, doing absolutely nothing to annoy her save for the small detail of _being_ there.

Which was enough.

The waterbender scowled, trying to get some sleep, trying and failing to relax her body, trying to forget that Zuko was _right there_, trying to forget that her arm would brush across his back whenever she'd attempt getting into a more comfortable position. She debated just extricating herself from the bed, but the floor was crowded with the children all sprawled, claiming their sleeping areas with the territorial natures of rhinos. Leaving was out of the question, and she understood that much, but did Sokka _really_ have to insist that she be in the _middle_? She recalled the conversation, how one-sided it had been.

How Sokka insisted being on the edge (because he _hated_ being restricted in movement) and how Zuko only avoided the conversation of who should sleep where, instead focusing his attention on a temporarily interesting spot on the wall.

Katara stared at the spot through the dark, throwing off what little of the thin sheets still covered her legs (most of which was wrapped about Sokka's limbs). This was her second night of insomnia, and she began to wonder if she'd never catch any sleep as long as she was in the Fire Nation, which was silly, because she, Sokka, Toph and Aang took refuge in the Fire Nation and she slept well enough then. So what was the big deal about this time?

This time, Toph and Aang weren't with them.

This time, she was sharing a bed with Fire Prince Zuko.

The waterbender groaned inwardly at the thought and turned over to see the back of Zuko's head, his hair darker in the shadows, tickling over the pale skin of his neck. He was quiet, very quiet, she couldn't even hear the sound of his breathing (or else it was drowned out with Sokka's light snoring). She closed her eyes, shifting her head to rest against the feather-down pillow and _tried_ to get to sleep.

"Stop moving."

Her eyes snapped open at the sound, at the disruption of the quiet, and she blinked at the back of Zuko's head. He didn't appear to have moved, not a single inch, but she knew he spoke, knew he was awake. Katara scowled, "Sorry. It's hard to get comfortable."

He grunted a reply, revealing his own fatigue.

Katara continued to frown, feeling the need to justify her movements. "Sokka's hogging the bed," she continued, "Snoring in my ear."

Zuko's shoulder lifted, letting her know he was awake, that he heard, that he didn't care. "So kick him off."

Was that a grin she detected in his voice?

"I would, but he'd crush whoever's on his side, and then all the kids would wake up," she answered.

Zuko remained motionless for a while, and Katara decided that he must have fallen asleep. She contented herself with the fact and tried to fall asleep as well, but he turned around, moving smoothly so that she might not have noticed if she wasn't so acutely aware of her surroundings. He faced her, features unseen except for his eyes that seemed to catch the streams of moonlight filtering in through the window. Or maybe it was just her? They such a piercing gold even in the dark, and she had to avert her vision elsewhere. His breathing was low, steady, precise after his efforts in meditation, and Katara imagined there was a smile on his lips, but it must have been a trick of the shadows.

"That's the last thing you'd want," he answered quietly.

Katara grinned, "Maybe, but at least then Snoozles over here wouldn't get any sleep either." She saddened a bit, remembering Toph.

At that the prince exhaled something that might have been a chuckle, softly, lightly, so as not to wake the room's occupants. His breath spread across her pillow, warming her already warm cheek. "That's cruel, bringing people down with you."

"Hey – you try being related to Sokka for fourteen years and tell me if you don't feel the same."

Zuko chuckled this time, still gently, but obviously a laugh. "You try being related to _Azula_."

"And I'd still feel the same," Katara finished, wearing a smile he couldn't see.

The pair reveled in the companionable silence, exchanging whispers in the dark as if sharing secrets only they knew. There was an odd comfort in this, in staying up and talking with someone in such a clandestine manner, as if confiding – though not much actual confiding was going on, rather, they simply entertained one another. It came with surprising ease, their conversation, and pretty soon their cracks at Sokka devolved into family stories.

"There was this traveling carnival that we went to see one time, and there was a ride that spun really fast. Sokka got stuck on it for two hours straight."

"_Two hours?_" Zuko asked with light amusement.

Katara stifled her giggle, "_Around_ and _around_."

"That explains a lot," the prince commented in jest. "And he's still a militant genius?"

She nodded, the sound of rustling against her pillow the only indication. "He helped invent those…those war balloons."

"Oh."

And sometimes their conversations would end with an awkward dose of reality.

But for the most part they spoke of their childhoods ("_And then I fell into the fountain with her,_" or _"Sokka got two fishhooks stuck in his hand,"_) until Katara fell asleep.

"—I didn't know what I was getting myself into—"

Zuko stopped dead in his sentence and blinked at the suddenly quiet girl sleeping beside him. He peered through the dark, trying to make out her eyes, wide and amused, and beautiful even when he couldn't see them (because even though he wasn't attracted to her at all, in _any_ sense of the word, he was still very much male and knew beautiful eyes when he saw them). He leaned nearer just enough so that his eyes could adjust in the dark, and he realized that she had fallen asleep. The prince grinned to himself in something like contentment (why he might feel content was beyond him, and he was much too tired to ponder that thought) before allowing sleep to pry him from the waking world at last.

The days progressed without much happening. Just the usual familiarizing themselves with the district, but otherwise the hours passed slowly without much to do. The children and Smellerbee were given jobs at the teashop – apparently they were much better waiters and waitresses (and tea makers, Katara noted with amusement) than Zuko (or herself, but that was only a minor detail) – nevermind that the adorable children attracted more customers. Money was coming in as they advertised for the teashop, and Sokka oversaw the money-handling, creating funds for a fresh coat of paint or sprucing up the interior.

Smellerbee was the hostess.

Zuko helped out at a junkyard, occasionally bringing something back that they could use in the tea shop.

Katara apprenticed under a mid-wife.

They settled into a comfortable life in that little district with alarming ease, but with each passing second Katara found herself thinking about either one of two things: Aang (and, by extension, Toph and Iroh and everyone else) or Zuko (…just Zuko.) It was frightening, how simply she and Sokka slipped into such a comfortable life here in the Fire Nation, how they all worked for their keep, how it was easy and how they laughed when in their apartment, how easily she slept at night, how she could just forget _why _they were there in the first place.

And then she'd think of Aang, of what he was doing, what Toph was up to.

Sometimes she would talk to Sokka about those days…and he'd laugh and say they're probably doing alright, that they'd hear from them soon…

It helped, if only a little, to know that Sokka wasn't troubled.

Nights followed a similar pattern from Zuko and Katara's initial talk, and their clandestine conversations became the norm. Of course, that didn't mean they were any nicer to each other during the day – on the contrary, they seemed extremely impatient when the sun was up, when they were parading about as a couple, when they'd deal with washing dishes and whose turn it was to do what – but at night, safely in bed, they were like little kids. Innocent and carefree, and maybe it was the way everything just felt so much more natural or consoling when she talked to Zuko, but Katara found that she had no problem falling asleep anymore.

And there was so much to Zuko's history that she never would have guessed.

"_Really?_ You tried it on?" Katara asked with a widening smile.

"I was _young_," Zuko argued, "and _curious_."

The waterbender giggled into her hand, "Well, I was _curious_ about my father shaving, but I never went and _shaved_."

Zuko scowled (playfully, of course), "Well, shaving is more dangerous than trying on makeup."

"Right, of course," Katara said, humoring him. "So what did your mother say when she saw?"

He faded red, grateful for the darkness, "She said I made a very pretty little girl."

Katara's responding laugh startled a very grumpy Smellerbee who threatened to sick the children on them if they didn't shut up with their whispering and secret love confessions. The benders felt the awkward tension, both flushed and unable to see the other's discomfort. The strain was evident between them, however, almost tangible as it thickened and eventually faded as Smellerbee's (heavy) breathing evened out.

Zuko was the first to break the silence.

"We should get some sleep," he said quietly.

Katara nodded, "Yeah," and let a stretch of silence follow. "Zuko?" She said lightly, tiredly, squinting through weary eyes.

"Hmm."

"Will you let me do your make up one day?"

He smirked, "Only if you let me shave your head."

She grinned, burying her face into the pillow and muttered something that sounded like, "I don't know if I trust you with a razor."

The fire prince remained awake for a few minutes after that, staring at the sleeping girl, wondering about her past and her relationship with her father and her brother, and if maybe, just maybe, that was a _smile_ on her lips, and if, for some inexplicable reason, _he_ was the reason for it.

* * *

"Lee!" Daichi whined as they walked along the streets, "_Lee!_"

Zuko glanced over at the boy who stumbled upon him, Katara, and Sokka (on their way to the Hin Siu Province to meet with Mai, as instructed of a message sent to them a few mornings prior). "Yes?" He asked with trained patience, "What is it?"

The little boy peered up at the older male with widened gold eyes. "Where are you going?"

"To the Hin Siu Province," the firebender answered calmly.

"Can I come?"

Katara laughed, "You wouldn't like it there. It's far and it's hot and there's nothing to do."

"Actually, I heard from Dagger that there's going to be a fes—"

Katara shot her brother a scowl, daring him to mention the festival that Dagger, the only other female in Smellerbee's troop, spoke of. Apparently festivals and such were common in the Hin Siu Provinces, one taking place every end of the week to celebrate the reign of the Fire Nation.

"—er_ing._ Fester_ing_…um, carcass. For the spider-eagles to eat."

Daichi's eyes only widened, "_Cool!_ Can _I_ come?"

"You should really ask your parents," Katara said logically, but the little boy grinned his precious gap-toothed smile.

"They said it's OK! They trust Lee!"

"They _trust_ Lee?" She repeated cynically, azure gaze flitting over to the firebender purposefully avoiding her eyes. "_Why_ would they trust someone they've never met?"

Zuko shrugged noncommittally. "Not all Fire Nation people are distrustful—"

"They _have_ met him!" Daichi piped up proudly.

Katara quirked a brow at the bender. "No, but apparently _you_ are," she muttered sardonically.

Sokka laughed, "Zu—" a heavy nudge from his daughter, "Lee! You met his parents? I hope this means you won't be dumping my little Sa-Sa here."

Katara cringed as he wrapped a fatherly arm about her shoulders. "Ha, don't give him any ideas, _dad._"

Zuko grinned at his soon-to-be father-in-law. "Don't worry, Mister Fire, I'm a one-girl kind of guy."

"Call me Wang, boy! We're practically family!"

"Alright, _Wang_."

"Can you _not_?" The waterbender quipped, unnerved by their show, by the chemistry brewing. After the week or so together, the pair had become quite a duo and it was unsettling to see her brother and Zuko getting along so _well_. (Nevermind that she got along with the fire prince herself, come nightfall.) The fact that Sokka seemed so amused by the idea of her being engaged to _Zuko_ was irksome enough, but for them to live up to their roles – with zeal, no less! – was disturbing.

She might have gone mad if it wasn't for the retribution Zuko received for his efforts in irritating her.

Katara couldn't hide the smile from her face as the little boy tugged repeatedly at Zuko's shirt. The fire prince appeared quite annoyed, but did his best to be polite as he glanced back down at the golden-eyed pest sporting coal hair, and let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Daichi, what is it?" He asked keeping his tone under control.

The little boy beamed at his idol, immediately letting go of his shirt's hem. "Are we there yet?"

The waterbender burst into a fit of giggles, and Zuko shot her a withering glare, before answering that _no_, they were _not_ there yet, 'there' was very far away, and it would take at least half a day's traveling to get _there_, and they've only been walking for _fifteen minutes!_

Daichi preoccupied himself with kicking a pebble, and Katara gave Zuko a snide grin.

"_Lee, Lee, Lee_," she mocked.

The prince scowled. "Don't. Start."

She scoffed, "It's what you get for being such a jerk."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I'd think you'd be _used_ to our marriage by now."

"It takes me more than a _week_ to warm up to being _engaged_."

"Eight days."

"What?"

"It's been eight days."

The waterbender shook her head in annoyance and asked a very sarcastic and equally rhetorical, "What, you've been counting?" as she moved ahead of the group to try and escape the aggravation.

Zuko only walked beside her, matching her pace. "_Obviously_."

She spun to face him, prepared to shoot off a retort—

"—_Lee!_"

She grinned. "I believe your biggest fan is calling you."

Zuko scowled at her before turning around to Daichi. His face softened into a much more patient expression (despite his frustration with the little boy, it was hard to be mad at him with that round face and those innocent eyes that were so wide and curious). "Yes, Daichi," he said for the umpteenth time, "What is it?"

The little boy, barely older than seven, smiled that adorable gap-toothed smile. "Can I sit on your shoulders?"

Zuko blinked down at his smaller mirror image, unaccustomed to being so looked up to (the only other time was that once with the boy named Lee…). He gave Daichi a smile, bending down to let him climb onto his shoulders. He made sure the boy was steady before standing up again, and Katara couldn't help but note just how much Daichi looked like Zuko, and how, if she didn't know any better, she'd mistake them for family.

The Hin Siu Province was quite a way's travel, and they stopped occasionally to get something to eat, or, for Daichi's sake, to just rest (though he was sitting atop Zuko's shoulders the entire time, so rest was redundant). Katara found justice in Sokka's discomfort (his beard was becoming unbearably itchy, and she pointedly reminded him with an overly sweet, _"Dad,_" that he could _not_ remove it) and grinned smugly whenever he'd send her a scowl.

Alright, so he might deserve it for having put her and Zuko in their current situation, but he really didn't mind, not when the duo would have to settle their disparities in public the way a couple would – and it served as amusing entertainment.

"Stop buying him things, you're spoiling him," Katara whispered of her alleged fiancé as she watched Daichi run off, waving a copper piece in the air in hopes of buying himself a glass of iced desert-coconut juice.

Zuko's eyes never left the little boy who reminded him so much of himself. "We're not his parents," he answered.

"I _know_, that's the _point!_" The waterbender replied tersely, "So stop treating him like…like…"

"Like what?"

"Like…how you're treating him now!" She finished lamely.

Sokka laughed, adding a humorous, "I think she's just not ready to be a mother yet," earning a glare from his sister.

"Hey look! Posters for a festival!" Daichi squealed in childish glee as he returned, enthusiastically waving a colorful flier in the air (a glass of juice in his free hand, the contents spilling over the brim).

"Careful—!" Katara began, but Zuko gave her a look.

"We're not his _parents_, darling."

And she flushed a bit, bristling on the spot, because he returned her own retorts (but certainly _not_ because he called her _darling_!)

Sokka looked disinterestedly at the poster in Daichi's hand, only to have his mouth fall open in surprise. He grabbed the little boy's wrist, bringing the flier up to his face, and eyed it in comic reverence. "It's—It's about _meat!_" He was practically drooling. "Can we go? Can we _go?_" He wheedled exuberantly.

Katara scowled at him, at the example he was setting for Daichi. "We're not exactly here for a festival, _remember?_"

But Daichi was already hopping up and down, inadvertently tugging on the firebender's shirt (the hem of which was stretched out due to all the yanking). "Oh, let's go! Please can we go?"

"Well…we're kind of busy…" Katara was about to say that _no_, they _couldn't_ because they had things to do – or that they could maybe go later, when Zuko decided to take a shine to his role.

"Sure, whatever you want, buddy."

"_Yes!_" Daichi exclaimed, upturning his beverage completely, "So what is it that you have to do first?"

Zuko scowled faintly, choosing his words, when Katara looped an arm about his shoulders, giving the little boy a snide grin,

"He has to go visit his ex-girlfriend."

* * *

Smellerbee smiled at the turn out of _Yu's Tea_. There were quite a few people inside, chatting and drinking and playing Pai Sho, and the old man stood beside her, chuckling at the sight. "It's been awhile since people have come in here," he commented off-handedly, giving her a fatherly nod of approval. "You and those kids—"

"Freedom Fighters," the girl interrupted, glancing up at the man, "We're called the Freedom Fighters."

He nodded, looking out over the small space, smiling to himself at the sense of security and peace and relaxation. "Right, you Freedom Fighters have been a wonderful addition to this sorry old place. Just look at the people, they all love the tea."

Smellerbee laughed, peering over into the kitchen where the eldest boy of her squad was tending to the pots and kettles. He was tall, taller than her, and very pale, with dull-colored eyes and a head of messy black hair hidden beneath a bandana. "Yeah, Short-Bow's always been good with that sort of thing."

Yu chuckled again, sparing a glance at the tea maker. "Yeah, his tea's delicious. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be sending a couple of letters…" he turned to head back upstairs.

"Hey, thanks for letting us stay here."

He smiled, "It is an honor."

* * *

_Your friends have made it safely to their destination._

_They wish you all very well._

_It is unsafe to be sending letters, but the girl thought you would want to know where they are and how they are faring._

_They miss you all, and would be saying so themselves, but they have important things to attend to._

_Do not try to visit them, do not even step foot in this Nation, or you may risk their cover._

_Warmest regards, _

_Team Fire._

"See? I told you they'd be fine!" Jing-Wei said as Aang finished reading the message. She filed her nails, idly swinging her foot to an inaudible tempo. "You worry too much. It's been a week, if something was wrong, we'd know by now."

The Avatar nodded, folding the letter and pressing it into his pocket, "I guess so. It just feels better, knowing they're alright…"

Jing-Wei gave the boy a smile, and he realized that she really was quite pretty, with her angular features and prominent nose. "Relax. Iroh said to lie low, didn't he? So we're lying low. Even Bumi's managed to keep a low profile. The last thing we need is the Avatar springing up out of nowhere to save his friends who are undercover in the Fire Nation."

"I guess so…" Aang began, but she only nodded.

"Stop worrying."

Toph scowled from her position on the floor. She heard the letter, the words, heard the tremors in Aang's voice, detected the sorrow in there, the alarm, and slammed a fist into the wall she was leaning against. "Stop telling him not to worry," she snapped irritably, glaring in Jing-Wei's general direction. "It's been a little over a week since we've seen or heard from our friends! And we _know_ they're not exactly in the safest of places to be. You didn't want to go to the Fire Nation – and why not? Because it's _dangerous_ over there! Of _course_ we're worried over our friends! They're _there!_"

Jing-Wei gave her fellow earthbender a scowl. "Yeah, alright, but is there a point to worry _after_ you've heard from them?"

"Maybe if they didn't write the letter themselves," Toph cracked, standing up from the floor of their hide-out beneath Omashu. "And anyway, it's kind of stupid, isn't it? _Do not try to visit them, do not even step foot in this Nation_…like we'd do something like that! Why does whoever wrote the letter feel the need to tell us not to ruin our plan?"

"Maybe Iroh wrote it," Aang suggested.

"Does it mention anything about tea?"

"No."

"Then it wasn't the Tea Monger."

"Maybe the Fire Brat wrote it?" Proposed Mazo from his own corner, chewing absently on a reed.

Aang shrugged, "Maybe…"

"Flinty considers us his friends, too. Why would he write '_your friends_'?"

"I don't know!" The Avatar answered, confused and unsure of what to think. He was looking forward to hearing from Katara and Sokka themselves, not some mysterious third party who signed his friends off as _Team Fire_. What did that even _mean?!_ Was it named because of their station in the Fire Nation? Was it a play off Sokka and Katara's fake names? Not that the _name_ was that much of an importance, it was the principle of the matter and the matter was—

He missed his friends.

"I'm going for a walk."

* * *

The teashop of the Hin Siu Province was much larger than the one at their District (that, Katara later realized, was not even allotted a proper name, only a _number_ – nine – and not even a _good_ number). Its doors were laden in gold leaf, the paint crisp and bright, scarlet and black and intricate designs in amber. The interior grandeur challenged that of the high-end teashops at Ba Sing Se, and the small group ventured inside, asking the host for reservations under the _Fire_ party.

They were led to a table in the further back of the room and took a seat, Katara and Sokka on one side of the booth, Zuko and Daichi on the other. Daichi glanced around with wide eyes, startled at the stateliness that was so rare in his District. "_Wow!_" He gasped in awe as he tugged at Zuko's sleeve, "Look! Look, Lee! They've got a hanging picture of Fire Lord Ozai!"

Zuko nodded stiffly, eyes carefully scanning over the tapestry. "I know. It's big, isn't it?"

Daichi laughed, "He looks so mean."

The poor kid didn't know the half of it.

He scrunched up his face, mouth in a grim line, and scowled at Zuko. "Do I look like him?"

The prince couldn't help but laugh and nodded, giving Daichi an affectionate ruffling of the hair. "Yeah, just like him."

"You know who looks like him?" The little boy asked thoughtfully, studying the tapestry with a careful gaze.

"Who…?" Zuko replied out of courtesy, lowering his eyes to the table.

Daichi pointed past him, "Wang!"

A unanimous "_What?_" emerged from the trio.

But Daichi only nodded solemnly, "He does! If you squint one eye and close the other…"

Katara giggled behind her hand, doing just as the boy said. "You know what, he kind of does."

"Oh, yeah, I see it now," Zuko added with a grin.

Sokka scowled. "Yeah sure, make fun of the guy with the beard."

"You mean the guy with the _fake _beard."

The warrior jumped at the low voice and turned to see a hooded girl standing behind him. Daichi (who was busy laughing to himself as he mirrored the many expressions of Ozai) missed Mai's comment, and Sokka frowned at the newest comer. "You should really watch what you say in public."

Katara straightened up in her seat, "Daichi," she called of the child who had entertained himself with playing with Zuko's hair, "Why don't you go toss a copper piece into the fountain and make a wish?"

He smiled, "Alright!" And hopped away, leaving the four to speak freely.

Zuko waited until Daichi was out of ear-shot (but still within eye-sight) before turning to the intruder. "Talk, and make it fast."

Mai rolled her eyes, "Sweet talker. No wonder I fell for you."

He was about to retort when Sokka lifted a hand, "Now's not the time."

Mai nodded, not bothering to take Daichi's seat (because it was beside Zuko or because she was in a rush, it didn't really matter, did it?) "Azula says she's got a secret weapon," the weapons master revealed quietly, lips barely moving as she spoke, "I don't know what it is exactly, but it's something about the Avatar and the Avatar State."

"What about the Avatar State?" Katara asked worriedly, leaning forward to hear.

"She knows how to prevent it."

"Prevent it, how?" Sokka pressed.

"I don't _know_."

"Permanently?" Zuko inquired, frowning at the thought.

Mai shook her head in conflict, "Judging by how Azula was acting, yes."

"Great, _great!_" The Swords Master groaned, "Aang's best bet is pretty much down the tubes. So what do we have against your crazy sister now?"

"There is still hope," Mai went on. "I'm not sure what this secret weapon is, but I'm sure that she's working on it in the palace. There is a room underground that is kept under constant guard—"

"The plans must be in there," Katara assumed.

Sokka nodded, "Or the weapon itself."

"Well, how do you suggest we get into the palace and take it?" Zuko asked pointedly, giving her a look, "That _is_ what you're suggesting, isn't it?"

Mai arched a brow at her childhood crush. "How long have you been away from home? Have you forgotten about the Fire Lord Festival?"

His eyes widened in realization. "When is it?"

"Next weekend."

"Already?"

She scoffed, "What, miss your home so much that you want to stay longer?"

Zuko scowled her way, and Katara broke between the bickering. "What exactly is this festival?"

"All you need to know is that the Fire Lord and his family are expected to attend," Mai answered, not taking her eyes off Zuko, whose own gaze was set on her as if competing in some unspoken challenged.

"So the palace will be the safest to breach," Sokka concluded, "But who to send…?"

It was Katara's _I'll go_ that made Zuko break his eye contact.

"You can't go. You're not going," he said hastily, rounding onto the bender.

She lifted a defiant chin, "You're not my father."

"No, but _I_ am, and I say you're not going," Sokka chimed in.

Mai shook her head in irritation. "Well, you have a week to figure out who's going. I'll check back when I find out something new," and without so much as a _goodbye_, she left the teashop with a swish of her cloak just as Daichi returned, sopping wet.

A pile of copper and silver pieces were carried in his arms, and he wore that goofy smile.

Zuko blanched, "You're not supposed to _take_ the coins!"

* * *

_I have sent the message._

Azula lowered the letter, golden eyes surveying the sky from where the messenger-hawk arrived, and set the paper aflame. It burned slowly, the orange blaze eating away the pale material, scorching through, burning dark brown until only ashes were left. She let the remains fall to the floor of her balcony and turned, striding through the drawn silk curtains, back into her room, calling a servant to clean up the mess.

"Ty Lee," the young princess barked, demanding her friend's attention.

The acrobat leapt up from the royal bed, wearing that ever-present smile of hers. "Yes, Azula?"

"You and Mai will not go to the Fire Lord Festival next week."

"What? Why not?" The cheerful girl pouted, face distraught in the order. The Fire Lord Festival was the largest celebration of the Fire Nation! A national holiday in itself. It was a traveling festival that took place in each of the four Provinces, The Capital, Gen Kou, Hee, and Hin Siu. – and at each festival the Fire Lord himself would appear and grace his subjects with his presence. It was a time for games and parties and lively costumes!

Azula's eyes were calm, cool, collected, and the edges of her perfectly colored lips tilted up into a sardonic little smile, "Because it would be rude not to have a Welcoming Committee for any guests that might stop by."

* * *

**Chapter XI -- Blue Revival _Excerpt_**

"Where'd you get that mask?" Katara demanded, widened eyes searching the crowd for her friends, for anyone, even for _Zuko_. But she only saw people, and damn the Hin Siu Province for being so much larger than Distrcit Nine! She was alone, trapped here with this boy donning a demonic mask, the very same mask Smellerbee tossed away, left behind at the warehouse.

Her counterpart refused to speak, however, only peering around the alley corner, watching people pass by. A sword was strapped to his back, and she couldn't make out what they looked like through the dark. But the fact that he was carrying weapons was enough to make her tense, and she took a step away from him, curling her fingers into her hand.

He glanced back at her silently, lifting a single finger to the mouth of his mask.

"Why won't you talk?" She whispered in turn, for some reason not feeling at all in danger despite the less-than-favorable circumstances.

Again, he didn't reply.

Katara frowned, resting a hand on her hip, "Who _are_ you?"

The boy only shrugged a single careless shoulder, before answering with an amused and unexpected, "Your Prince Charming."


	11. Blue Revival

**HERE** it is! Chapter 11! It took me a little longer to get this one out to you guys, sorry about that, but here it is :D It is, I'm quite proud to say _the_ longest chapter I've ever written. For anything. Ever. :D Lol 9000-10000 words, oh yes. But don't expect future chapters to be _this_ long. I don't really think I have the time to make them all like this, but I ran into a snag somewhere and figured that I needed to shed some light on Smellerbee and her story C: so that took up a big chunk of this.

**AND** I think I may have over done it on the Zutara fluff, um, I'm sorry? LOL No really, I'm all annoyed with myself and how carried away I got, but Zuko and Katara demanded that they have some moments and well...I gave them moments. A few moments. :cough: Oh, also, someone was wondering about the girl in Zuko's dream so many chapters ago - where he was Fire Lord and she was pregnant? Yeah, the girl is supposed to remain ambiguous, you're not supposed to know C: You might never know who it is, actually, it was just a dream. But anyway...thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed for this! Omg I love you all for your encouragement and your support and your ego boosting praise (because I totally need it right now, with how crappily school and parental-infteractions are going) You guys are amazing.

**21** away from 200! Lol. So sit back, enjoy, and see you at the end C:

* * *

**A C Q U I E S E N C E **

* * *

"_You and Mai will not go to the Fire Lord Festival next week."_

"_What? Why not?" The cheerful girl pouted, face distraught in the order. The Fire Lord Festival was the largest celebration of the Fire Nation! A national holiday in itself. It was a traveling festival that took place in each of the four Provinces, The Capital, Gen Kou, Hee, and Hin Siu. – and at each festival the Fire Lord himself would appear and grace his subjects with his presence. It was a time for games and parties and lively costumes!_

_Azula's eyes were calm, cool, collected, and the edges of her perfectly colored lips tilted up into a sardonic little smile, "Because it would be rude not to have a Welcoming Committee for any guests that might stop by."_

* * *

_**Chapter XI **_

**Blue Revival**

* * *

**K**atara _tried_ to restrain herself, really she did, but it was just so bloody difficult _not_ to. Glare at him, that is. At Zuko. The smug, know-it-all Fire Prince who warmed up to his role of her fiancé and found the need to speak for her. Telling her she couldn't go into the palace. Honestly, where did he get off? Forbidding her from stepping within five-hundred yards of the place. She supposed that it was with good intention, but she also couldn't tuck away the fact that he saw her as weak. Incapable of such a mission. And that _he _was – what impression did that leavef her with? That he thought she was helpless and a hindrance? More as someone to protect than an actual ally?

And then there was _Sokka_! Doing absolutely nothing to remediate the situation! _Agreeing_ with him, even, with his cracks about being her _father_, and the _head of the household_ and _she should really listen to her future husband – he means well!_ The waterbender huffed, folding her arms across her chest and dutifully glared at the back of her alleged affianced's head. Stupid, power-mad, annoying firebender—

"Sa-Sa!"

She cringed at the nickname but otherwise turned her attention onto her 'father,' eyes as glacial as the bergs of their homeland.

"Look!"

She scowled at her brother, whose eyes were only challenged by Daichi's at the sight of the festival grounds. Stands and vendors littered the place, decorations strung from the houses and poles. Katara wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of meat and glazed barbecue and…was that custard she smelled? Wonderful, fluffy, flaming custard. She hadn't tasted the deliciously sweet goodness since the last time they were in the Fire Nation – and in all honesty, she never thought she'd taste it again. But there it was, that sinfully tantalizing scent that made her change her mind about stopping by. It was Sokka's tug on her arm that brought her back into reality.

He was hunched over beside her, staring at the festival with widened eyes, gaze shifting from stand to stand, like a child at a candy store. And he might as well have been, with the way he was already drooling. "I've—I've never seen so much _meat!_" The warrior exclaimed in an unguarded voice that had Daichi peering back at him in curiosity. Sokka cleared his throat and faked a cough. "Whoa-_wee!_" He chuckled in that elderly intonation, "I think I had myself a moment just then! How's about we check out those meat-pies…?"

Daichi shook his head, making a face at the suggestion. His small hands clasped at Zuko's hair. "Lee, _Lee!_" He demanded, hopping a little on his idol's shoulders, consequently soaking the prince's shirt.

Zuko cringed at the tugging, worried that his guise might slip off. "Yes, Daichi? What is it?" He asked, reaching up to grab the boy's wrists in what could be seen as brotherly (or fatherly, Katara noted – before instantly dismissing the thought) affection.

"Can we go play a _game_?" The little boy wheedled, leaning over to peer down into Zuko's face. His smile was wide, that cute little grin that said _Do what I want because I'm adorable_. "_Plea-a-a-se?_" He continued, stretching out the word until he ran out of breath, inhaled, and continued to stretch it out.

Zuko chuckled, lifting a hand to cover his mouth. "Alright, which one do you want to play?"

"But…but the _food!_" Sokka countered, looking pleadingly towards his sister, "Let an old man have his fun!"

The prince shot the girl a lopsided smile, endearing and perhaps even a little amused. Katara frowned at him despite the adorable image of the golden eyed-duo, one sitting atop the other, one smiling in excitement, the other smiling good-naturfedly. Zuko inclined his head towards Sokka, lifting an expectant brow. "You should let your father have a good time," he said charmingly (and when, Katara wondered, did he learn _that_?)

"Yeah!" Sokka enthused, clapping a hand onto his 'soon-to-be son-in-law's' shoulder. "Let me go off and have some fun! I get tired of watching you two make goo-goo eyes at each other all the time y'know!"

Zuko restrained from grimacing under Katara's lethal stare. He shifted Daichi's weight on his shoulders and strived to maintain that casual air. "Let him go," he said with as much nonchalance as he could muster (and Sokka beamed, showing rows of perfectly healthy teeth), "His days are numbered, afterall."

Sokka stepped away from the prince, unsure if he was alluding to old age or the fact that Katara would surely drown her own brother in his sleep. He laughed, nervously, fingers tracing the length of his moustache. "Good point, good point, my good fellow," he said with sudden sophistication, making sure to keep a fair distance between himself and his sister. "So how about it, darling, forgiving, understanding, compassionate, not-at-all-temperamental—"

Katara rolled her eyes, "Oh, just go."

He let out what Daichi could have sworn was a _Yippee! _(but must have misheard) and dashed away with surprising agility for a man of his age. The little boy blinked after him. "Wow. He's fast."

Katara scoffed, "You should see him when I try and get him to eat vegetables."

Daichi tugged once more on Zuko's hair, "Alright, c'mon let's go win stuff!" He exclaimed, pointing a hand over to the nearest game booth. "I want to win a platypus-bear!" He continued, bouncing just slightly in a failed attempt to conceal his enthusiasm.

Zuko chuckled, wandering over to the booth, and paused, glancing back at the waterbender. He gave her a smile, half hidden with his profile. "Coming, darling?"

She flushed a beautiful red and followed after, telling herself the sight of Zuko and Daichi together did _not_ make her wonder about what his kids might look like (or who he might have them with). It was a ridiculous thought, anyway, one that was only brought about because of their stupid circumstance and her stupid brother and his stupid penchant for disguises. Stupid. And then Zuko's affinity for making subtle cracks at their situation did nothing to help! With his stupid nicknames and stupid smiles…

"Sa?"

Katara blinked out of her thoughts to see like images staring at her oddly. She shook her head and stalked past them, in an invariably foul mood.

"What's the matter with Sassy?" Daichi asked quietly, watching as the waterbender marched up to the booth and turn around to impatiently wave them to come.

Zuko sighed (and told himself not to laugh at the Daichi-given alias), "It's called estrogen."

By the time they reached the booth, Katara had calmed down some, and was in a noticeably better mood. It didn't take Zuko long to deduce _why_. The guy manning the booth was no older than eighteen, perhaps nineteen, and he was flirting so freely with her. She was blushing like crazy, clearly adoring the attention, so much so, that neither one noticed when Zuko cleared his thrfoat.

"You've got the bluest eyes, you know," the volunteer said in a voice that surrendered all masculinity.

Katara flushed and lowered her gaze, shrugging off the compliment. "Where I come from, everyone has blue eyes."

"Really? Are they all as pretty, too?"

To Zuko's surprise, Daichi was the one who ended the shameless display. "Ex_cuse_ me," he interrupted, demanding the young man's attention. "But I want to _play!_ Are you playing, too, Sassy?" He asked of Katara, who blinked in horror at the nickname. But it was too late.

"Sassy, is it?" The guy crooned with one of those _come-hither_ smiles. "Well, what luck – I happen to like girls with attitude."

Zuko slapped a hand down onto the counter (with more force than necessary), setting down two copper pieces. "Three coconuts, please," he growled, trying to remain civil, though the look in his eyes was challenging, obscured in some game of male dominance.

The flirt blinked at him, eyeing the prince, as if seizing him up, and then reached for three hollow coconuts. "The point of the game—" he began to explain to Daichi, but Zuko cut him off.

"He knows how to play!"

He lifted Daichi from his shoulders and set him on the ground. The boy had to go on his toes to see over the counter, and Katara gave the vendor a fleeting smile. "Oh, the poor boy can barely reach let alone see," she pouted prettily, and the flirt laughed.

"Let him sit on the counter, go ahead, I won't tell anyone."

Zuko scowled as he lifted Daichi. "Go ahead, throw them at the…are those _slabs of meat?_" The prince asked in disgust of the target.

"This is a _meat_ festival, and _no,_ wise-guy, they're not _real_," the game-booth runner answered.

"Watch this, Lee!" Daichi lifted a coconut and hurled it with obvious effort. It skidded off the corner of the back table, shaking the stand a bit, but otherwise completely missing the target. Katara hid a smile behind her hand as Daichi determinedly reached for another. "I'll get it this time!" And this time…he hit the other side of the table, but the result was much to the same effect. He scowled, "This time, this time for sure!" He said in earnest, picking up the last coconut-ball.

When it missed, his face fell.

"I don't like this game," he whined, motioning for Zuko to take him off the counter, "I don't even like the prizes!"

Katara reached out to run her fingers through his hair, "Aw, Daichi—"

"So what are you guys, brother and sister or something?" The vendor interrupted, gaze fitting between the benders.

Katara started in surprise, not expecting the query. One because, well, she was slightly embarrassed in admitting that she and Zuko were an item, and two, well…honestly. _Brother and sister?_ Was this guy an idiot? "Er, well—"

Zuko set an intimidating glower on the poor game-keeper. "Something like that," he answered with unsuppressed sarcasm, "We're together." It was hard not to laugh at the booth man's face as the trio left the stand in search of another game.

"I didn't like that game anyway," Daichi said moodily, kicking up a clod of dust.

The prince grinned, "You liar."

"I don't!"

"Then why did you play it?"

"Because it looked fun," the boy answered solemnly.

Zuko chuckled. "Alright," he continued with ease (Katara had to wonder where this reservoir of patience came from), "So why do you not like it now?"

"Because I'm bad at it," Daichi replied. "I _lost_."

The prince bent down, meeting the little boy's eyes, and held a hand onto his head of dark and unruly hair. "You want to know a secret?" He whispered quietly, and Katara had to strain to hear, because as annoying as Zuko could be, she was just a little curious as to what he might say. _Yeah, you're right, you lost, but get over it?_ Or perhaps, _We'll go back and destroy the booth!_ Zuko gave a crooked smile, "Winning is so much better if you have to fight for it."

Daichi perked up, if only a little. "Can we go back later?"

"Of course."

"Then we'll show that guy!"

Zuko straightened up, "Yeah. We'll _show_ him."

And Daichi ran off towards another booth, not knowing that his idol wasn't talking about the game.

"That was nice," Katara said as she stepped beside him, watching the little boy waiting in line and wave them over with exaggerated gestures. "Did your Uncle tell you that?"

"No," the firebender said lightly, in a simple exhale, "That's my motto."

"Your _motto_?" She said with an amused smile, and Zuko only had to send her something of a hardened scowl.

"Yeah, you know, like how yours is _If you've got to flirt, do it shamelessly_?"

The waterbender did _not_ appreciate that. "Excuse me?" Katara shot, affronted, insulted, and all things displeased. "When was _I_ flirting shamelessly?" Her cheeks were heating up a little, if only because she was _not_ flirting shamelessly with him! And how could he consider her talks with him flirting at all and even so, was her flirting _that_ bad or—

"Oh never," Zuko quipped as they took rushed steps towards the booth and eager young boy waiting, "Except for five minutes ago."

"We weren't even _talking_ five minutes ago!"

"I never said it was with _me!_"

And in that slight moment of awkward revelation, everything suddenly made sense.

Katara blinked, about to explain herself, to tell her that she was _not_ flirting shamelessly (and if she was, it was with good reason!) when Daichi arrived and tugged on their hands. "Come _on_!" He exclaimed, "I can't pay for myself since you made me give back those coins!"

The firebender averted his eyes from his future wife, reprimanding himself for chiding her about flirting when he really shouldn't even _care_ and what did it matter that some guy was trying to make a pass at her? He only cared because it might ruin their cover, that was all. He nodded down to Daichi, "Oh, sorry, here," and gave him a few copper tokens. Only when the little boy retreated to his game (smacking badger-moles on the head – a game Toph would surely dismantle and set on fire) did he return his attention to Katara. She was confused, he could tell, and a little embarrassed. "Forget I said anything," he said before she could get a word in edge-wise.

She scowled. "He works for the palace," the waterbender whispered as she matched his pace, "he let on that he's one of the servants there." Zuko didn't say a thing, and she wrung her hands together, feeling obliged to at least explain herself (but it never occurred to her that she might _have_ to…it was a shock to know that Zuko was irked by her actions…or so she told herself). "I was doing…business," she said carefully, glancing over at him.

Zuko stopped walking then and cast her a sidelong glance. "Didn't I tell you to forget about it?" He said in what was unmistakable irritation.

But despite his tone, Katara knew she saw a crooked smile on his lips as he continued walking.

Daichi was at the game, whacking away at the stuffed little game-badgermoles, and he was doing quite well on it, Zuko couldn't help but notice. "Whoa, easy there," he said as he watched the boy ruthlessly smacking at the creatures before they could even manage to make it out of their 'holes.' "You'll destroy the entire thing."

"I'm winning, Lee!" He said with childish glee, "Look, look I'm winning!"

Zuko had to chuckle, "Yeah, you are. Good job, buddy."

Katara gave the old woman at the booth a kind smile, slipping a few copper pieces to her. "For any damage he might do to the game," she said with a grin, and the older woman laughed, refusing the money.

Only after Daichi won the largest stuffed badgermole hanging against the wall to call his own was the boy satisfied, and hopped away from the booth, on to another, dragging his idol after him. Katara laughed at the sight of them and counted out the copper pieces to cover Daichi's _eleven_ tries. The old woman took the pieces with a wise smile and nodded towards the golden-eyed duo.

"He looks just like his father," she commented, "But he has your smile."

The waterbender flushed and muttered a quaint and very uneasy _thank you_, before rushing away, feeling oddly…_thrilled_ by the idea of being a family. But it was only because the woman was so nice, and Daichi was so cute, that she was even mulling it over in her head and why did she feel so embarrassed? What was there to be so embarrassed about, anyways? Zuko turned, holding two bowls of custard (and Daichi struggling with his own, the badgermole tucked under his arm as if attempting escape). "Hungry?" The prince asked with ease, handing a bowl to the girl, and she blinked, taking it from him with obvious hesitance. "What's wrong? Don't like custard?"

"Who doesn't like custard?" Daichi piped up, "It's the _best_!"

Katara shook her head, giving Zuko the faintest of smiles. "No, no, I love custard."

There was something in her tone, in the softness of her voice, that suggested she wasn't talking about the custard.

"Thank you," she said with the utmost sincerity, taking the dessert.

"Don't forget these!" The vendor said, handing Zuko three fire stick, and the prince nodded, before turning to the two. Katara and Daichi, one with tanned skin and eyes of water, the other with pale skin and eyes of the sun, both happy and content and wearing smiles and he wondered if this would be one of those moments in life that he'd never forget.

"Come on," he said with a tilt of his head, "Let's go sit somewhere and eat."

Daichi cheered, bounding straight for the fountain.

* * *

"I asked for _Jasmine_ not _Thyme_," the woman said with condescension that only made Smellerbee's temper spike. "Take it back, this is not what I wanted."

Smellerbee felt her muscle tense at the command and opened her mouth to tell the lady just what she thought, when Short-bow called to her from the kitchen, his voice drab and dull and oddly familiar (and the girl had to tell herself to stop comparing him to her lost companion). "I've got the Jasmine here, and the Lavender up and ready," he called, giving Smellerbee a pointed look that said _Stay calm_ before turning back to the kettles and such.

The scarlet and gold clad woman glanced primly at her waiter (or was it wai_tress_?) and stuck her big pompous nose in the air. "I believe _that_ is my order, young lad."

-  
-

Yu returned from his mailing to find a lady of the Administrative Council of the Hin Siu Province drenched in what was either jasmine or thyme and throwing threats every which way.

"Ma'am!" He exclaimed in a choked yell, "Ma'am, I am so sorry, what is going on here?" Yu reached her, eyeing the stained satin attire, eyeing the badge signifying her status, and could almost _see_ the declaration of his apartment house's eviction.

The woman turned an overly manicured nail onto him and let out a snarl that reminded Smellerbee of the wild hog monkeys she encountered a few years past. "That _thing_," and she pointed her stubby finger at the waitress, "had the _audacity_ to dump tea on me after getting my order wrong!" And the way she was screeching also reminded Smellerbee of those hog monkeys. "What are you going to do about this?"

Yu glanced over at Smellerbee, at the guilty look on her face (how amusing it was, that she didn't even _try_ to hide it), and then back at the Lady. "Er…that cup was on the house?"

She gaped and threw her hands up into the air, "I'll have this whole place closed down!" She shrilled in a fit of rage, gesturing for the other customers to back her up, "You all saw what she did!"

Lucky for Smellerbee, District Nine was fed up with The Hin Siu Council and their lording it over everyone. The woman let out a frustrated _squeal_ (_just_ like the mating call) and turned on her heel. A short and portly man, exceedingly more cheerful than the taller and robust woman with lungs of apparent steel, came scurrying inside. "What seems to be the matter here?" He asked of the woman, his wife.

"That wretched creature purposefully spilled tea all over me!" She squawked.

The man only chuckled, looking over at Smellerbee who was giving him a _what-are-_you_-lookin'-at_ kind of glare. "Oh that precious little girl?" (And that glare instantly softened) "Why, I'm sure she would do no such thing! It must have been a mistake, a misunderstanding, isn't that right?" He squinted to read her name-tag, "Smellerbee, is it?"

The freedom fighter, blinked, almost dumbly, before breaking out into the sweetest of smiles. "Oh, of course," she agreed in a deceptively sweet voice, "I would never soil the garb of one of such high and esteemed standing as Her Lady," and she mock-bowed at the furious Council member.

"Then I see no harm done," the man said, "You can have your clothes laundered and I'm sure this lovely young lady will get you a new cup of tea."

"Right here, sir," Smellerbee supplied, handing him a cup of freshly brewed _Jasmine_. "The cup's on the house."

The woman scowled, sniffing a bit, and turned to stalk away, "Like I'd want a souvenir of this place."

Yu held his breath as they left, and turned onto Smellerbee.

"She was getting on my nerves!" The freedom fighter protested at once, "You should have seen her! All '_This was not _my_ order_,' and everything!" Smellerbee explained, even going so far as to pinch the bridge of her nose in an attempt to match the screeching nasally pitch of the woman's voice.

Yu could only chuckle and shook his head. "You're lucky that her husband was here. He might not be with her next time."

Smellerbee only scoffed getting back to work, "I don't think she'll be coming back just yet."

The waitress went to the back kitchens to get a mop and Yu glanced back towards the door. "But she'll be holding a permit to close this old shop down when she does."

* * *

"Can you do it yourself?" Zuko asked of Daichi as he handed the boy a fire stick. Daichi nodded enthusiastically, setting his badgermole beside him and holding his custard in his lap. They sat on the lip of the fountain, Daichi between both the benders, contently peeling away the decorative tissues wrapped about the tip of the fire stick. His guardians watched as he revealed the metallic crust beneath it and, with a practice swipe against the fountain's edge, lit the giant match on fire. The blaze roared, and settled almost at once into a harmless sparkler, and Katara grinned as the boy stuck it into his custard. "See!"

The prince laughed, nodding in approval. "Yes, good job," he commended, doing the same with his own. Katara didn't quite remember that part of the custard, hers was always lit for her, but she followed suite of the little boy beside her, only to scowl when her fire stick refused to light. "So used to dousing flames, are you?" Zuko teased.

She responded with a sharp look.

He reached over, taking the stick from her without so much as asking. "You need to be quick with it, is all," he explained, giving her one of those teasing smiles, "Create friction. It has to go fast, unnoticed, if you take it too slow it won't light, nothing will happen. Don't be scared to be kind of rough with it." And he demonstrated this with a fluid swipe, lighting her match on fire. He handed it back to her, still wearing that adorable smirk. "See?"

Katara huffed and took the candle-of-sorts, sticking it into her custard and waiting for the flame to reach the gooey goodness. "I could have done it myself," she muttered, and Daichi shook his head.

"No, that's why Lee did it _for_ you."

And Zuko couldn't help but grin.

It didn't take long for the custards to light on fire, the crystallizing properties of the edible fire stick wax (or frosting, as Daichi liked to call it) spread out over the custard's surface, turning the dull peaches and cream color into a vibrant scarlet or a golden brown. Fire Nation colors, of course. Katara's was red and it looked…oddly unappetizing – she was always so much more fond of the golden brown ones (the red seemed to have a hint of spice to it). She prodded at her custard, breaking off a piece of the crust and popped it into her mouth. She made a face.

Yeah, there was that tangy spice.

Before she could even sigh, Zuko's bowl of golden-brown custard was offered to her. "Switch with me," he said, ordered, but in the sweetest way possible.

Katara scowled, "Why?"

"Because I don't like the golden brown ones."

Daichi watched the exchange with wide eyes, his own mouth stuffed with the creamy custard underneath the crystallized cover.

She scoffed, but willingly obliged. "You are _so_ picky."

Only when Zuko got up to throw his emptied bowl away did Daichi turn to the waterbender, "Lee told me that he hated the red ones."

-  
-

"Man, that place was _great!_" Sokka sighed in contentment as he left with a pigeon-turkey leg, swinging it like his machete. "I've never seen so much meat in my _life!_" He glanced over at the sleeping Daichi hanging onto Zuko, the little boy's cheek resting on the prince's shoulder, a stuffed badgermole that seemed to be nearly his size held in the firebender's free hand, and chuckled. "The little guy's knocked out," he commented serenely, "Busy day, huh?"

Katara laughed as they walked along the street, holding a small platypus-bear close to her chest. "He nearly cleaned us out," she said affectionately, reaching forward to brush a strand of dark hair from the kid's sleeping face. "He played so many games…"

"And all he managed to win are those two toys?"

Katara scowled, "At least he won something." She didn't feel the need to add that Zuko cheated to help Daichi win in that coconut-ball-tossing game. The booth runner of which was very much contemptuous of the prince, if his side-glares and off-handed remarks on Zuko's masculinity were any indication.

"_I_ won something!" Sokka countered, lifting his pigeon-turkey leg – and then taking a bite out of it. "And it's edible, too! What does yours do?" He squeezed the platypus-bear in her hands and it played some sort of Fire Nation lullaby. The warrior snorted, "Cute."

"It's not mine," she said in earnest, patting the stuffed animal. "It's Daichi's, he won it."

"For you," Zuko added, glancing back at the siblings.

Katara convinced herself the heat was making her face warm.

"Anyways," the bearded man interrupted, "Did you guys see that booth that was burnt to splints?" He said in light amusement, "Poor guy was at a loss! I wonder who did it, anyways."

Zuko hesitated, but showed no other indication of recognition. Of course he saw the booth, he's the one who did it. But only because the guy was making passes at Katara, and he was a jerk, and he worked for the palace, and he didn't even _know_ Zuko was the one that did it – and he was a jerk to Daichi! And alright, so Zuko had some jealousy issues to work out. Remember what happened when guys made passes at Mai? They destroyed Chan's entire house! A little booth was _nothing_.

(He decidedly ignored the fact that this situation was completely different from the beach incident.)

…

(And the fact that it actually wasn't.)

His sister gave Zuko a knowing look, "Yeah, _I wonder_."

Sokka stopped dead in his tracks. "No-o-o," he said in disbelief, looking at Zuko. "You didn't!"

The prince shrugged, "It's late, we should get Daichi home."

"You did!" Sokka said, not even bothering to mask his hilarity. "Are you insane?"

"You're the one who's laughing maniacally about it," Katara deadpanned, giving her brother a sound punch in the arm. "Now zip it and let's go, Daichi's parents might worry." She decidedly ignored Sokka's following comment that his parents already _were._

By the time they reached the teashop, it was already very late (Daichi's parents were not in the least bit worried about him, much to the trio's surprise, and Katara blushed furiously when they mentioned Zuko bringing his lady-friend over for dinner, which was odd because he didn't even _live_ there) and the freedom fighters were asleep. Sokka crept over the kids, taking care not to step on anyone, and landed on the bed after losing his balance. "There's way too many of them," he muttered to himself as he kicked off his shoes.

Katara grinned through the dark, "Yeah, so you should keep it down or else they'll all wake up and attack you."

Needless to say, he kept his mouth shut.

There was no time for conversations that night, seeing as Zuko fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, and Katara had to wonder, as she stared at the back of his head, at the dark hair, and the pale skin of his neck between wisps of black, how much sleep he got the previous night – if any at all. He always did wake up before her…and fell asleep _after_ her, come to think of it. Sokka settled at her left, tossing and turning and snoring, and she smiled, closing her eyes.

She didn't need to talk to get to sleep that night, to ease her conscience.

The entire day was perfect.

* * *

The following three days found the group going about their usual orders of business. The Freedom Fighters were working the teashops, with Yu and Sokka beginning plans for renovations. Zuko was up every sunrise, gone by the time Katara would wake, already off to the junkyards to clear aside the metals and scraps, to properly dispose of hazardous things. Katara helped deliver two babies (summer was the baby-booming season, she was told). Daichi was off at his school and they didn't see much of the child, but it was fine, because as cute as he was, Zuko had to admit, he was a handful. And his scalp was a little sore.

By sunset, everyone was back, gathered in their apartment like some crazy family, eating dinner and laughing. Sokka was playing with the kids (or rather, the kids were pestering Sokka) and Smellerbee sat with Zuko and Katara, cracking jokes, exchanging stories about their days (_"Oh! I forgot to tell you! This big lady came in here a few days ago…"_) and then their tales treaded on more serious territory. Leaving their homes, missing their friends, their lives…and eventually, how Smellerbee made it to the Fire Nation.

"You remember we were under Ba Sing Se, right?" She said, rusty voice quiet, sincere. "Well, after you and the others left, Longshot and I, we stayed behind with Jet." The freedom fighter "We were prepared to fight for him, to die there with him, but you know Jet. Being the hero, the noble guy," and she cracked a weak smile, as if spiting him, but adoring him all the same, "he told us to run. To go. Longshot and I, well, we couldn't just leave him behind…it was hard, he was our leader and—" Her voice cracked her, and Katara reached out a hand.

The waterbender's eyes were concerned, understanding. "You don't have to talk about it, Smellerbee," she said sincerely, giving the girl's hand a squeeze. It was quiet, the others had fallen asleep, the kids all littered over the floor, Sokka under a pile of them. She smiled at her brother, the children tucked beneath his arms, one – Dagger, the littlest girl – sprawled across his chest, a few lying between his legs. "I know it would be hard for me to talk about ever losing Sokka."

The freedom fighter shook her head. "No, I need to tell you about it. I haven't told anyone and…" she clenched a fist, lowering her eyes. "So, Longshot and I say we'll stay, but Jet insists, and he's so hard-headed. We finally leave – and we take him with us, right when those creepy guard guys come flooding in. We got away just barely, but we weren't out of the woods yet. We had to run through the city, we had to hide, and Jet, well…he died while we were hiding out. Longshot and I…we were devastated, but we couldn't leave him behind. That night was…was the," she choked and crumbled forward, arms trembling with the memory. "That night was the hardest night of my life," Smellerbee said in a rasping exhale.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Zuko murmured quietly, focusing on the ground, feeling so horribly guilty, and Katara glanced his way, recognizing the echo of his words under Ba Sing Se.

Smellerbee shook her head, sniffing. "We made it to the shores where we planned on giving Jet a proper burial at sea. We stole planks from this abandoned place, broke down the door and just took what we could, and we made a little floating coffin for him. It was pretty pathetic, but it floated. After that Longshot and I, we didn't know what to do, where to go. We reckoned we should'a gone with you," and she looked over at Katara, her eyes watery and bright and sad, "You and Pony-Tail and the Avatar, but we had no idea where you were.

"We stayed there at the shores for a couple nights; I was starting to think we'd never leave. But then I started getting really angry, right, and Longshot, he tries to calm me down, but I'm furious. Like Jet got when the Fire Nation killed his village, his family – I wouldn't listen to reason. I was getting obsessed, like him, and the idea struck me to continue his mission. Longshot tried to talk me out of it, but I was determined. And that night the mask—"

Zuko's eyes jumped to the girl.

"—the Blue Spirit mask, washed up on shore and I knew it was a sign. It was telling me to go under cover, to disguise myself, to carry Jet's legacy. I didn't know where the mask came from, or anything, but I took it, and Longshot said he wouldn't let me go on my own, so we were on our way," she rubbed a wrist against her eye, wiping away the tears streaming down her face. She usually never cried, was ashamed to cry, but this time…she couldn't bring herself about to feel anything of the sort. "But as we were traveling, Fire Nation guards were after us, and I thought it was because we were at Ba Sing Se, but I realized it was 'cause of the mask – apparently this Blue Spirit guy made a mess for himself."

The prince shifted, relieving the stress on one leg, and stretched it out before him.

"Longshot and I were separated, and I hid out with this family, right, who thought I was some poor orphan girl, and they said they were on their way to the Fire Nation. I figured I'd be safe with a family, and the guards were coming, so I ducked in with them and came here to District Nine. I ran away from the family, told them I was fine, that I had family and stuff, they let me go, and I took cover in that warehouse and began my pranks as the Blue Spirit. And kids, you know, those kids," and she nodded towards the pile of children and Sokka, tears subsiding, "They looked up to me, see. They were orphans and I gave them food and stuff, and they started following me around. And I realized that I was carrying on Jet's legacy…"

Katara let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding, wondering how Smellerbee could have lived through all of that on her own, how she could sit there and disclose all of it, bearing her entire soul out to them, to people she barely even knew. Her eyes were tearing, she knew, she was probably even crying, but she could only nod, once, shakily, offering a small and timid smile. "And then we came along," she whispered.

Smellerbee blinked at the waterbender, returning the smile with much more vivacity. "Yeah, y'did," she said with that trademark grin of hers. "But things are always changing. You guys aren't staying forever."

"You could come with us," Zuko offered, eyes even, sincere, _understanding_.

Smellerbee shook her head, "Nah. I figure I've got a pretty good thing going here with Yu and the freedom fighters. We're thinking of renaming the place, did you know? _Yu's_ _Freedom Tea_."

"Well, the invitation's always open."

"To you and the children," Katara added earnestly.

And Smellerbee could only smile, not the least bit ashamed that her tears had returned.

* * *

Katara was fast asleep beside him, not nearly as close as usual seeing as Sokka was asleep on the ground. She felt so far away, and she was curled up into a ball, as if cold – but that was impossible, the heat must have been unbearable. Zuko sat up, slowly, so as not to jar her awake, and stood from the bed, easing up off the cot. He lingered there for a moment longer, watching the girl sleep, eyeing the look of steady peace on her face, untroubled and at ease, and then swept out of the window without another glance back.

The streets were dark, all the lights were out, which was an odd thing, really, considering this was the _Fire_ Nation, but it didn't matter, he could see fine. Zuko raced along the rooftops, his steps light and swift, unnoticed. A few disrupted leaves were the only indication of his presence, as he moved through gardens, avoiding the road as much as possible in case of any watch-guards. His cloak was pulled over his form, hood over his head, blending into the night, an unseen extension of the darkness.

He reached the warehouse, sparing no time in breaking in. He made quick work of it, picking the door and moving inside. The prince conjured a small flame to light the way, and he searched hastily, making sure to keep the flame low, steady, so as not to draw attention outside, and then he found it, laying where it was abandoned that day they ran into the impostor.

Zuko picked up the mask, the blue demonic face growling at him, fangs bared, eyes fierce, and tucked it beneath his cloak. Without so much as a hesitation, he extinguished the blaze and swept out of the warehouse, closing the door behind him, paying no mind to the basket, emptied of all produce, lying by the entrance.

* * *

"C'mon, get out of the bathroom already!" Sokka pleaded, pounding on the door.

A resounding snarl answered him, the door peeking open so Smellerbee could stick her head through. "I'm _using_ it, Pony-Tail!" She replied tersely, "That's why the door's _locked_! You banging on it won't make me _un_lock it!" And she slammed the door in his face, determinedly narrating what she was doing and purposefully doing everything _slowly_.

The warrior banged his forehead against the wall. "I hate my life."

Katara laughed from her position on the bed, brushing her fingers through her hair. "That's what you get for waking up so late," she said, "And you fell asleep so early last night!"

Sokka sighed, turning to face her when the door opened and slammed him in the front. "All done, Pony-Tail!" The girl exclaimed, marching out squeaky clean and looking like a _girl_. She blinked, "Pony-Tail?" Muffled sounds came from behind the door and Smellerbee quirked a brow, moving it to see Sokka against the wall, his forehead bright red. "What are you doing back there, genius?"

He scowled and, without answering, trudged into the bathroom.

The warrior didn't take very long getting ready, and the entire group was rearing to head to Hin Siu. It took a half a day's travel or so (it took much shorter when they went with Daichi because Daichi wasn't _walking_, but with all the kids…) They made plans to stay there one night and Yu saw to it that they had a room. "Remember the name of the place," he reminded as they left the shop (and he had to close down anyway, for the holiday), "The Jade—"

"Yeah, yeah," Sokka waved away, "_Jade Dragon_, We know!" They wandered onto the streets and the warrior lifted his hands behind his head, "How hard is that remember, anyways? It's not exactly the most original name ever."

"He's just concerned," Katara said as she shouldered a pack of fresh clothes and any supplies they might need, "It's refreshing to have someone like a father around."

"_I'm_ your father!" He said in defense, but she only sighed.

"I meant the kind of father who didn't always grate on his daughter's nerves, or eat all the time. Or not act like a father at all, but more like a very annoying _brother_."

The rest of their trip continued in a similar manner, with the siblings bickering about this and that, where to eat, when to rest. Smellerbee and the children were all well-behaved, as well-behaved as the freedom fighters could be, and Zuko, well…he sat back and enjoyed the show.

"_You_ hold it if you want something from the pack every ten seconds!" An irate Katara exclaimed, shoving the backpack into her brother's hands.

He only shoved it towards her, "I can't lug that around! I'm old and have a bad back!"

"Oh, I'll give you bad back," the waterbender fumed, cracking a knuckle, at which point Zuko interfered, offering to carry the pack himself. Neither sibling could muster a dispute and so the group continued on their way.

Smellerbee snickered. "Why'd you have to end the fun?"

"Because it would be pretty suspicious if his daughter was beating the crap out of him, and her fiancé and a bunch of kids just stood around and watched."

"And laughed," the girl added solemnly.

He grinned, "That, too."

-  
-

By the time they finally reached Hin Siu Province, it was past noon and the place was decorated from boundary to boundary. It was tempting to just jump right into the festivities, but the first order of business was to find where they would be staying. Sokka waltzed right up to the _Jade Dragon Lotus_, and turned to his friends, hands gesturing to the extravagant sign. "See? What'd I tell'ya? Easy enough!"

Katara scowled. "Yeah, it's sure hard to miss, alright," she said cynically. "It's there, too," and she pointed at the _Jade Dragon Pearl_.

Smellerbee smacked a hand to her forehead. "And there!"

_Fire Jade Dragons_.

Zuko let out a groan, "And there."

_Jade Dragonfly._

"Well Mister 'It's-so-easy-to-find,' which one is it?" Katara prompted.

And the warrior dropped his arms. "I give up."

-  
-

Eventually they found their reservations (at the _Jade Dragon Tea_ which really should have been the obvious choice, and why didn't anyone notice it right in the middle of the pavilion?) and the group was told of their missions. Smellerbee rubbed her nose with her thumb, grinning at the prince. "No worries, Fire-Pest," she assured confidently, "The freedom fighters and I can cause so much havoc this whole place will forget all about the palace."

"Just make sure that Ozai and Azula stay here," Zuko repeated quietly, "Don't draw attention to yourselves if you can help it."

"Roger that," Smellerbee noted, fitting a gray mask with gold sequins over her face.

Zuko turned to the warrior, "Sokka, you're job is to—"

"Make sure Katara is safe, got it," he said with a nod.

At which his sister punched him in the arm.

The prince shook his head (though he would have agreed to that plan in a heartbeat, it wasn't what they decided, and it wouldn't do any good to have two able-bodied people doing absolutely nothing to help). "No," he said plainly, wiping the goofy smile from the warrior's mouth. "You'll be the watch. If Azula and Ozai return to the palace, or if anything at all goes wrong, set off these sparks on the tower we visited today." Zuko handed him the firecrackers and Sokka stuffed them into his bag. "The red ones if they're coming back, the blue ones if something's wrong here."

He nodded in understanding, pulling down a black demonic mask over his face, sporting ridiculously over-the-top white feathers.

Zuko turned to Katara then, and he visibly hesitated. She glared, "I know what I'm supposed to do," she said, "I'm going with you."

"Yes," he answered with strained force. It would be easier to infiltrate the palace with another bender accompanying him, but there was a major flaw in his stratagem – he didn't want to risk revealing that a waterbender was among them. If they were found out, Azula would know instantly who it was. He had his dual-swords…but Katara…well, all she had was her bending. He made a mental note of just steering clear of any trouble – or making sure she didn't need to bend…or killing whoever witnessed it.

"When are you guys going?" Smellerbee asked curiously.

Katara met Zuko's gaze, blue on gold.

"Sunset."

And a white mask with red markings slid over her face.

* * *

There was anticipated tension on Zuko and Katara's part the rest of the day as they waited around for sunset. Sokka and Smellerbee and the rest of the kids were carefree enough, enjoying their time, spread out throughout the festival, but the pair stuck together, constantly glancing left and right. She kept forgetting that Zuko was the one beside her, his mask – a dizzying swirl of garnet and gold – made for an excellent disguise. A sword was strapped to his back, but she didn't pay much attention to that, he always wore it, and besides, quite a few people carried weapons around. It made her wonder what kind of place this really was.

She lifted her mask for a moment, the heat getting the best of her, and a hand moved the cover back down over her face. "What are you doing?" She demanded of the fire prince who wasn't even looking her way, but into the far-crowd.

He glanced at her. "Azula could be anywhere," he said quietly, the mask muffling his voice, "Don't ever take off your mask."

"One second of fresh air won't hurt," Katara retorted, but Zuko kept his hand in place until she agreed she wouldn't remove her mask. The bender rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. "You're worse than Sokka," she grumbled inaudibly.

Except that it wasn't inaudibly because he heard.

"_Shh!_"

"Sorry, sorry," Katara answered lamely, dropping her arms. "How about a drink?"

Zuko sighed and nodded, leading the way to a vendor, and low and behold, it was none other than the jerk who ran the game-booth. Fortunately for him, he didn't recognize Zuko. Unfortunately for him, he recognized Katara.

"Is that you, beautiful?" He asked, handing her a cup of cider.

Katara blinked. "Excuse me?"

The guy didn't even notice Zuko's grip tighten around his own cup, or the fact that Zuko was paying for _two_ – was Katara being given a free drink?

"No one else here has as good a tan as you," he commented, flashing that smile. His own mask covered only his eyes (the wrong half to cover, in the Prince's opinion) and Zuko recognized the set of his jaw, and his _voice_. "Sassy, right? So where's that freakish boyfriend of yours?"

The waterbender was about to say that he was right _there_, when Zuko disappeared from her side, and she was left gaping like a fish out of water at the space where he _had _been – and very grateful for her mask. "I can honestly say that I don't know," she answered, bewildered.

"Great, how about a dance, then?" He asked.

He sure didn't waste any time.

"A dance?"

He gestured to the place cleared with hanging lights and things, where people were moving in circles. "Yeah, you know. Two people, moving close together to music…?"

"Oh."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Would you like to dance?" The guy repeated, and Katara wondered if he was used to dealing with girls who were especially slow on the uptake, or if he was simply being extremely patient with _her_.

She forced a smile, even though he couldn't see it anyways, and nodded. "Uh, sure. Alright."

He beamed and took her hand, leading her away (calling over some one else to man the stand), "And don't worry. Your boyfriend won't mind."

_Yes he will_.

Zuko wouldn't have let them go, he would have stayed right there and told the guy to quit hitting on girls who were taken (and, as Katara's supposed fiancé, she _was_ taken, and he _had_ a right to take offense when some other guy was flirting with _his_ girl…all theoretical, of course), but the opportunity presented itself for Katara to dig information out of the guy about the palace, about who's usually stationed where, about servants' talk and all that such. So he let the pair go to the dance floor, hoping Katara would realize her given opportunity – she was smart, right? She had common sense and reason and logical and…

She was _dancing_ with the boy?

The prince resisted the urge to slap a hand to his forehead. Somehow, he doubted gaining information was on her mind, and he entered the dance (for the sole reason of alerting Katara to the potential she had at her hands), grabbing the nearest girl who, to his surprise, was quite flattered in having been chosen. She was a pretty girl, from what he could tell of the lower half of her face, except that she talked too much. He gave monosyllabic answers to her questions, her voice straining on his eardrums.

Who cared what his favorite color was? _Blue._

Who cared what his favorite day was? _The end of the week._

Who cared what his favorite song was? _The lullaby his mother used to sing to him_.

He never answered any of her questions truthfully anyways.

_Red._

_Today._

_The Girls of Ba Sing Se_.

And she giggled then, this mysterious girl with an annoying voice and an even more annoying laugh. "I'm from Ba Sing Se," she revealed coyly, and that was when the song called for them to switch partners. He intercepted Katara at once, the girl from Ba Sing Se looking quite put out in having lost her first partner.

"Lee?" Katara asked.

"No, it's Wang," Zuko replied sarcastically (he could imagine the scowl on her face). "Did you—"

"Where'd you go? You just left me there, it's almost sunset!"

"I left you and you come to dance, yeah, great plan to look for me," he couldn't help but retort.

"Well if you hadn't left—!"

"Listen," he cut in, knowing they would be changing partners soon, "did that guy tell you anything about the palace?"

"No…all he talked about was how great he is," she answered with a roll of her eyes, he twirled her then, and she came back, fitting into his arms, "and about all the girlfriends he's had in the past. And he keeps asking about me and if we're in a serious relationship, you know, all that stuff."

Zuko blinked, tempted to ask what she told him – but of course, what would she tell him? They were _engaged_, of course they were in a serious relationship. Aside from the fact that the whole thing was a sham, but that was a mere technicality that the offender really didn't need to know.

"Ask him," the prince urged in a heated whisper, "Ask him everything, anything."

With one final twirl the exchange of partners took place and she murmured a swift, "I will," before finding herself mask to mask with a green demon.

That Ba Sing Se girl was following him, he could tell, and so Zuko slipped off the dance floor and changed masks so as to avoid her. The Blue Spirit walked amongst the people once more, but luckily for him, there were many Blue Spirits running around. He tucked the other mask beneath his cloak, and waited around for dusk, lingering close to the dancing and keeping an eye on Katara. She was partnered with the guy for most of the dances, he was working his way towards her whenever they'd have to switch (pathetic, really) and he imagined that she'd be laughing and flirting to get the information out of him.

The guy led her away from the dancing then, off to their own private what-have-you, and Zuko followed silently, hiding in the shadows cast by the setting sun.

"You're a great dancer, you know," he said, smiling at the bender.

Katara nodded, probably smiling as well, "Thank you, Shin."

Zuko instantly hated that name.

_Shin_ leaned in for a kiss (which was stupid – Katara was wearing a _mask_, the moron) and Zuko interfered, grabbing Katara's hand and with a possessive ownership that might have been insulting had it not been for the fact that Katara _really_ didn't want to kiss that guy. He took her wrist and yanked her away from him without so much as a word.

_Shin_ scowled, his mouth turning down at the corners (for the first time since he's seen Katara, the girl noticed). "Hey, what do you think you're doing, pal?"

Zuko locked his eyes on _Shin_ and the guy was evidently spooked by the mere _aura_ radiating from the man behind the mask. The prince smirked to himself – so a few things he picked up from Azula were helpful – and nodded a farewell to _Shin_ (who stood there like some dumbstruck idiot…and really, it was a miracle he could get up in the morning and figure out how to get off his bed). But he didn't get far (only to a nearby alley) without Katara abruptly stopping and asking just _who_ he was. As oddly romantic as this whole thing was (being saved from danger – though Shin was more annoyance than actually _danger_ – by some mysterious guy in a mask) it was dangerous and silly, and it was _sunset!_

And his grip was actually starting to hurt.

He looked at her, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to reveal himself as the Blue Spirit, and what the hell was he doing, lunging into the scene like that without changing masks? It was unlike him – or perhaps, _just_ like him. Not to think ahead.

The prince mentally slapped himself.

"Where'd you get that mask?" Katara demanded, widened eyes searching the crowd for her friends, for anyone, even for _Zuko_. But she only saw people, and damn the Hin Siu Province for being so much larger than Distrcit Nine! She was alone, trapped here with this boy donning a demonic mask, the very same mask Smellerbee tossed away, left behind at the warehouse.

Her counterpart refused to speak, however, only peering around the alley corner, watching people pass by. A sword was strapped to his back, and she couldn't make out what it looked like through the shadows. But the fact that he was carrying weapons was enough to make her tense (nevermind that everyone else was carrying weapons on their person – a detail she observed earlier that day but just so quaintly forgot), and she took a step away from him, curling her fingers into her hand.

He glanced back at her silently, lifting a single finger to the mouth of his mask.

"Why won't you talk?" She whispered in turn, for some reason not feeling at all in danger despite the less-than-favorable circumstances.

Again, he didn't reply.

Katara frowned, resting a hand on her hip, curiosity getting the best of her, "Who _are_ you?"

The boy only shrugged a single careless shoulder, before answering with an amused and unexpected, "Your Prince Charming."

Alright, that did it. "By the time I'm done with you, you'll wish you _had_ a _Prince Charming_—!" She exclaimed, wrenching her wrist away from him and preparing to bend, but Zuko lifted both his hands into the air in what could only be surrender. Katara didn't budge. "I want answers, and I want answers _now_."

"Now?" Zuko asked, hinting at the time, at the hour, at the lack of _sun_.

"Did I stutter?" The girl challenged, and the prince was at a loss.

He hesitated, trying to find his words. "Don't…you have somewhere to _be_?"

"I've got all the time in the world," she answered without missing a beat.

Zuko scowled. So if he wasn't actually himself, then he'd be waiting somewhere for Katara while she'd take her sweet time interrogating some masked savior? Nevermind that he was actually here and not waiting, and that she was interrogating _him_ because it was the principle of the matter and that was – they were _late!_ And he didn't care if that made sense or _not_. "Well, _I _do," he said, voice stifled by the mask, "and I only stole you to keep that leech away."

Stole her. As if she was now his, as if she was some possession.

"He…" Katara flushed. "What gave you the impression that I wanted to be helped?"

"Oh, I've got a knack for those things."

The bender bristled on the spot, eyeing him suspiciously. "I don't need some nosy masked knight to come and save me," she said irately.

"I'll make sure to tell the knights to lay off," he said with ease as he climbed up onto a dumpster, planning to head up onto the rooftops for an escape.

Katara watched him go, watched him climb, "And what about you? You'll need to stay away, too."

Zuko turned to face her, shadowed in the darkness leaving only the blue mask for her to see, and sent her a two-fingered salute. "I'm a prince, remember?"

She scowled, "Same thing."

What was she doing arguing with this boy who was trying to leave? She should really be getting to Zuko and why couldn't she stop grinning behind her mask at this boy's cheek? At his…_charm_. There was something about him that was just so exciting, that air of mystery, and guile. She wondered if maybe he _was_ some sort of prince charming, or if he just got lucky that the one time he tried to take a girl she didn't bash his face in (and that she was actually in a situation to be helped).

"Fine, if you really want me out of your hair, I'll do as you wish," he couldn't help but toss back. This alias, this liberation, was thrilling. He could do what he wanted, say what he wanted, without it affecting his relations with other people in the least bit, and that thought was sobering and yet inebriating all the same. No restrictions, no limitations…it was invigorating. Zuko realized, as Katara replied that she wouldn't _mind_ seeing him again, that he was treading a fine line here. But he imagined her smiling behind that mask and told himself – screw it. He was the _Blue Spirit_, and the _Blue Spirit_ could do anything. The _Blue Spirit_ was free.

The _Blue Spirit _was _back_.

He leapt for the rooftops, quickly switching masks, and found Katara just where he left her. She seemed…lost. The bender turned to find him right behind her – "What are you doing?" – and she jumped, hand reaching her heart to still its sudden rapid beating.

"You scared me!" She accused, glancing around as if looking for someone.

Zuko took her hand, unable to keep the smirk from his lips, "No time."

And they were off.

* * *

**WELL? **Lol I hope you guys liked it as much as I adored typing it up. All in one day, can'you believe it? Haha it took a few hours, but I couldn't _stop_ once I hit the flow. So yeah, not much of a cliff-hanger ending, but the Ninja!Zutara will come next chapter C: and lots more will be revealed plot-wise next chapter, too, I think. Anyway, here's that excerpt you're all expecting. & Reviews and such Feedback would be very much appreciated C:

**OH** and just as a heads up, I'm aware that Fire Nation culture does not allow for dancing. No, I didn't just add that bit in for the sake of having them dance, lol, if you notice, neither Katara nor Zuko paid much attention to the fact that they _were_ dancing C: don't worry. I've got this all figured out (for the most part).

* * *

**Chapter XII – Dead Ends _Excerpt_**

"Let me _out_ of here!" The girl exclaimed, fighting against the chains binding her wrists, her ankles.

"There's really no use struggling," a dangerous and almost venomous voice drawled, lazily, tiredly, as if she dealt with this every day. And she probably did. The princess rolled her eyes, setting her hands on her hips in royal elegance – boredom. "These chains are especially made, a new gadget from that Earth Kingdom mechanist. Chi-blocking cuffs."

"And they come in three colors!" Ty Lee added with a cheerful smile.

Toph shook her head, refusing to give in, and continued to struggle. "They'll break me out you know," she countered, "They'll come and they'll _kill you_. You and the hog-monkey you call a Fire Lord!"

Azula let out a disinterested sigh. "Oh please, you're even more dramatic than Zuzu."

"They're coming for me…" the earthbender insisted, tightening her hands into fists.

The princess only smirked, lips drawn into a devious smile. "I know."


	12. Dead Ends Meet

**CHAPTER** **12**, typed up during a late night 'cause I wanted to get this out to you all C: It's got lots of surprises so I won't keep you...plus, I'm tired. So...on with the show! Oh, and I'd like to give a shout to _Jaeeton_ for being the epitome of awesome and helping me come up with names and stuff :D and helping me...er...determine canon-ness? Lol. She's awesome. Check out her work, yo. And while you're at it, drop by _Electric Risk_'s page, too. She's also, awesome. Yeah. C:

* * *

**A C Q U I E S E N C E **

* * *

_The _Blue Spirit_ was _back_. _

_He leapt for the rooftops, quickly switching masks, and found Katara just where he left her. She seemed…lost. The bender turned to find him right behind her – "What are you doing?" – and she jumped, hand reaching her heart to still its sudden rapid beating. _

"_You scared me!" She accused, glancing around as if looking for someone._

_Zuko took her hand, unable to keep the smirk from his lips, "No time."_

_And they were off._

* * *

_**Chapter XII **_

**Dead Ends Meet**

* * *

**I** don't see why he's so worried," the firebender said lightly, carelessly, as if the subject matter was something to be dismissed. "The letter said they were fine – what's there to be so scared about?" Mazo glanced over at the blind earthbender as she walked beside him, not struggling at all through the dark. The underground tunnels were winding and for someone who was accustomed to being in the light, in the Fire Nation, out in the open air, this was unnerving. Of course, not that he'd admit he had reservations in exploring the sewer systems of New Ozai – _Omashu_, he reminded himself pointedly, not wanting to earn a punch from the earthbender – and so the bender swallowed his complaints.

After Aang received the letter, the Avatar went off to speak with Bumi, probably about Avatar stuff, boring stuff…Mazo was much more interested in spending time with the ladies (though, admittedly, Jing-Wei seemed to be in a trying mood for Spirits-know _what_ reason. Now he and Toph wandered the tunnels, their voices resonating, footsteps sloshing through things Mazo didn't even want to think about.

The girl, much shorter than him (thus avoiding bumping into any low-hanging whatever-the-hell-are-in-sewers), and much more familiar with their surroundings (thus avoiding accidentally stepping into a particularly deep puddle), walked a little ahead of him, her voice echoing so that she seemed to come from everywhere all at once. "You can't blame him for worrying," Toph said matter-of-factly, "I'm worried, too. They're our _friends_ over there. Sparks and Snoozles and Sugarqueen…I'll tell you now that if it was you and Jing-Jing at the Fire Nation, I wouldn't care half as much."

Mazo waited for the comment to sting, but it didn't, simply because he'd feel the same. They were barely friends, him and Toph, and even Aang. They were allies, surely, and they'd help each other when danger arose, but as far as worrying so much went...

"No offense," the earthbender added, glancing back at him over her shoulder, her pale jaded eyes bright even in the shadows of the underground pipelines.

He shook his head before realizing she couldn't see it. "None taken," Mazo assured, and they continued exploring the system. He rather liked Toph, not in that romantic way (and if he did, he was certain she'd have his hide for ever trying to flirt with her), but in the friend sort of way. She was easy to talk to and he knew she would always tell him the truth. She had to trust him (seeing as she was some sort of human lie-detector) and because of that he knew never to fib. It was an easy relationship to deconstruct, not at all complex, and that, he supposed, was what he liked about it.

In comparison to his relationship with Jing-Wei, Toph was straightforward and crude and—

"But what I find so weird is," the earthbender interrupted his thoughts, "why Katara or Sokka, or even Sparky, couldn't write the letter themselves."

Mazo blinked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean…who was that guy, anyway? Why didn't whoever wrote the letter give us a name? Why did that person feel the need to warn us away from the Fire Nation?"

The firebender shrugged, feeling his foot sink deep into cool sewage. "_Dammit!_" He cursed under his breath, scowling as he lifted his shoe, covered in what he was sure could only be a coating of sludge. "I don't know, precautions?" Mazo suggested of her earlier queries.

Toph shook her head, "I don't know. There's something weird about it. I know Katara. She would have written us herself. And Sparky wouldn't have let her, he would have been all _'Are you crazy? It'll be suspicious if we're sending messenger hawks, what if they're intercepted?'_ and then Sweetness would nag and nag – _'What's so suspicious about us sending messages to our relatives in Omashu?'_ and then Flinty would still be stubborn and she'd argue and in the end they'd be sending a letter, just one letter, probably explaining that they wouldn't be sending any more because Zuko is a kill-joy and—"

Mazo leaned against the moist sewer wall. "Is there a point to this?" he cut in, fairly amused (and just a little unnerved) by her accurate impersonations of the two benders.

"The point _is_," Toph explained, rounding onto him with those piercing eyes that couldn't even see, "If they were to send us a letter, it would be written _by_ them."

"What are you saying?" the firebender prompted, peering at her curiously. She really was a good person, one he had become quite partial to…

She let out an impatient sigh, "I'm _saying_ – the message is a fake!"

And in that moment of sudden revelation, bindings were thrown down from above.

Toph stepped back, feeling a rhythm of feet landing on the ground, one after the other, a whole barrage of enemies. She fisted a hand as Mazo moved beside her, alert, heart thudding.

They were surrounded.

* * *

The benders raced through the streets, donning their masks, Katara's red and white, Zuko's red and gold. Two figures running with the breeze, moving through the changing shadows as the sun lowered behind the horizon. Their destination wasn't far from the Hin Siu Province, on the contrary, the Palace was in sight, but it was still a way's travel. Zuko's hand left Katara's once they made it out of the crowd (he didn't want to lose her again, you see, she was apt in the art of vanishing) and they rushed together along the streets, cloaked figures in masks, seemingly celebrating the Fire Lord Festival, but in truth undermining it in every way.

"Zuko," the waterbender whispered as they approached the border of the Capital City, "There are guards everywhere."

He only gave her a look through the mask, she could tell with the way he was standing, the way his shoulders were set – and how she could tell was simple enough: Katara was spending _way_ too much time with the banished prince. "Of course there are guards everywhere, it's the Capital City," he reasoned, condescension lacquering his words, "And besides, there was a guard at the border of the Fire Nation itself, what makes you think they'd have welcome signs plastered over the gates to the heart of the country?" Zuko scoffed in his mask, "The Fire Nation isn't exactly the friendliest, you know."

Katara rolled her eyes. "I'm just _saying_," she countered defensively, watching the guards change shift. They moved mechanically, like clockwork, almost. "I have a feeling they're expecting us or something."

"What is it, your _instincts_?" He teased.

She scowled, punching him lightly in the arm, a habit she picked up from Toph. "I'll have you know, my instincts are _much_ more reliable than my brother's!"

"Is that really saying much?"

She only punched him again.

Zuko grinned in spite of himself. "Alright, alright. But we've come this far, we can't just turn back now. And I don't want to just wait around for the Festival to move over to District Nine or Hee," he said, listing off the other two provinces.

Katara shook her head, turning back to the guards, and spotted two familiar faces walking out of the gates. One girl apparently bored and the other very put-out. Her hand reached out to grasp Zuko's shoulder and she gave him a single vicious shake. "_Look!_" She whispered, "Mai and Ty Lee! They're _here_, Zuko!"

"What's your _point_?" The firebender challenged, prying himself from her death grip.

"They're probably expecting us!" She hissed, standing from her crouched position.

Zuko stood as well, two hooded benders hiding on the rooftops, wearing masks in celebration of the Festival, and nowhere near festival grounds. Katara imagined that he must have been grinning, even though she couldn't even see his face. "Then we'll be expecting them expecting us, and if they're _not_ expecting us, things will go much easier than expected."

With those final words he took off, down the roof, and made to circle around the Capital City to breach the less guarded wall.

Katara blinked after him, unable to believe that what he said made _sense_, before swiftly following after.

They went by unnoticed by most, courtesy of the nighttime, as they crossed the rooftops. The Capital City was large and affluent, and it was a long way around to the defenseless border. Zuko took a rope from beneath his cloak and looped the end, tossing it up to a pike. It held-fast and the prince gestured for Katara to go first. She rolled her eyes, tugging on the line, "Are you sure this will hold?" She asked quietly.

"No. That's why I want you to go first."

She scowled and hurried up, with the firebender hastily in tow.

It was dark by the time they crossed the wall, so dark that they blended seamlessly into the shadows. Zuko took one look around the city, lavish and gaudy, and took off in one direction. Katara sprinted after him, keeping an eye out for Mai or Ty Lee who looked quite different with her hair down, but no one else could _bend_ like that and so it must have been her (what were they doing here and not with Azula at Hin Siu…?). They ran and ran…and ran some more, and finally Katara had to yank at his arm.

Zuko spun to face her, and she gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Do you even know where you're _going_?" She asked, breathing a bit ragged.

"Of course!" The prince snapped, slightly outraged for no apparent reason.

Katara rested her hands on her hips, "Are you _sure_?"

"_Yes_, I'm sure," Zuko answered, exasperated, "I only _lived_ here for thirteen years."

"A lot can change in three years."

"Now's _really_ not the time to argue," the firebender quipped, turning away to continue in whatever direction he was going, telling himself that girls were annoying and that he definitely knew where he was headed.

Katara threw up her hands, "Who's arguing?"

-  
-

"Lost?" the waterbender prompted, arms crossed over her chest, brow arched in a silent taunt.

They found themselves at the gates of the Palace…or rather, the wall separating the Palace from the Capital City itself. Zuko was muttering to himself, eyeing the barricade, pacing one way, then the other, in seeming search of something in particular. An entrance, perhaps? A passage?

"No!" He defended at once, "I'm just…I'm making sure to avoid any guards!"

The waterbender sighed as he rounded the border and gestured for her to follow. She approached and stared at the wall, unimpressed. "And this is…?"

Zuko scowled at her cynicism. "The way in," he said, as he pressed in a brick and hinged door lifted, revealing a dark crawlspace. "Ladies first."

Katara stepped back, "No, no," she insisted, taking one look at the cramped channel, "After you."

He shook his head, "I need to close the passage – you don't know how."

With a disgruntled sigh, the waterbender got onto her knees and crawled in. "I can't see a thing," she complained as she trudged forward tentatively. Zuko locked them in, and she was cast into completely darkness. "_Zuko!_" She exclaimed in a harsh whisper, "Does this thing go straight or—"

And a scream left her lips as her hand slipped down a slide and the rest of her trailed after.

She landed on a bed of mud and Katara let out a gasp of disgust, barely picking herself up before Zuko tumbled down after her. The pair went sprawling across the landfill in a combination of limbs and cloaks and otherwise staggered grunts. Zuko scowled as he sat up, prying himself away from the girl on the brink of waterbending him back up the chute. A layer of mud coated his black cape, and he stood, removing it. "They must have changed it, or something," he admitted, glancing at the spread of dirt at their feet, "It used to lead to a patch of grass."

Katara glared at him, standing up and furiously brushing away the clods of dirt staining her own cloak. "Yeah, well, I'm not surprised. I didn't think greenery could survive in the Fire Nation," she groused, shrugging her own cloak off her shoulders, "First thing's first—"

Zuko took one look at her and then turned away, "We need to get disguises."

"What? We have disguises." And she pointed at her face, hidden behind the guise.

"You can't walk around the palace like that," the prince countered, gesturing to her outfit, a garment of red and gold, fit for a gypsy coven but not the residents of a palace. "Besides, it will be suspicious, wandering around in masks."

"Everything to you is suspicious," Katara cracked, "it's the Fire Lord Festival – aren't masks expected?"

"Not in the palace," Zuko answered, and the waterbender might have laughed at the irony if her companion didn't sound so grave. He nodded to her, stalking ahead. "Let's go."

He walked with a purpose, steps light but confident, as they made their way through the underground bases. The walls were red brick, and torches flickered ahead and behind, going on for what seemed like forever. They passed wooden doors, with bars for windows, and Katara didn't have to look inside to know who was behind those doors. There were so many of them, and she clenched a fist, hastening to keep pace with Zuko.

"These people broke the law?" She whispered, glancing from boarded door to boarded door.

Zuko jerked his head away from her, "Not all of them," and continued on his way.

Katara tried not to look anymore, through those bars at the people who looked so lost and hopeless. It would have been bad to hear them moaning and groaning and begging to be released, but their silence was so much worse. They didn't even feel the need plead for freedom anymore…

"We have to help them," she resolved quietly, as they reached a set of stairs. "We can't just leave them here."

Zuko face her, one foot on the bottom step, hesitant at first. "We have a mission," he reminded her quietly. And it was a rather _important_ mission at that - they couldn't afford to be side-tracked when in search of Azula's _secret weapon_ against the _Avatar_.

"Well we can have another one, too," she persisted.

"We can't risk it," the prince said with a note of finality, and continued up the staircase, leaving a distraught and conflicted Katara behind. She spared one last sweeping glance back at the corridors, web-like in their construction, before silently slipping up the stairs. It wasn't right. Leaving those poor people in there to rot. It wasn't right, that they should just sit in their cells, devoid of all emotion and hope. They weren't even _human _anymore.

It just wasn't right, none of this was right.

And it ate at her, nagging at the back of her head until she felt Zuko's hand grasp tightly around her wrist and take off somewhere, anywhere, as long as it wasn't there, and she didn't have time to ask him what he was doing as he yanked her into a cramped room, dark and unlit (but obviously a utility closet, if the brooms were any indication) and shut the door behind them, because she heard the footsteps, dawdling and lazy, and she knew that someone was coming. A single voice, seemingly annoyed, clearly a girl. It took all of a single grunt – "Ugh," – for them to deduce who it was.

Flittering footsteps followed. "I still don't see why we had to stay behind," Ty Lee whined, pouting through her usually cheerful façade.

The friends moved around the palace, doing rounds every now and then but mostly Mai was listening to her companion complain about their misfortune. In truth, Mai would much rather stay behind than join the festivities. "It's a bunch of idiots wearing masks and bowing to Azula and the Fire Lord – what's so great about it?"

Zuko felt his heart constrict in hearing that monotonous drawl of hers, uncaring and bored and so detached…

"What did Azula even _mean_," Ty Lee continued as they passed by the utilities closet, in which a horrified Katara was pressed up against the wall, Zuko's hand firmly planted across the mouth of her mask. "_ 'Because it would be rude not to have a Welcoming Committee for any guests that might stop by.' _What guests would come here when there's a festival at Hin Siu?"

Sometimes Mai wondered why Ty Lee was chosen.

And then the girl would whip out her unmatched martial arts and knock out an enemy in two seconds flat.

The White Lotus member rolled her painfully bored eyes. "I don't know," she sighed, not wanting to waste her breath explaining to Ty Lee how Azula's mind worked (it was difficult enough for the Royal Shrink). "Come on, Azula told us there was a new prisoner on the way," Mai said disinterestedly as she opened a door – presumably down to the prison wards.

"Speaking of prisoners," her friend echoed, "You said the Avatar was coming—" Zuko stiffened in the closet, his fingers pressing firmly into Katara's mask, "—and he's not here yet. I've been wearing my hair down for weeks and that cute Water tribe boy hasn't shown up!"

Mai hesitated, eyes flashing for a moment, before easing away the tension, "I never said that." And they disappeared down the staircase, the door shutting behind them.

Katara pushed Zuko aside, taking in a gasping breath. She lifted the mask off her face, giving him a most accusing glare. "Your _girlfriend_ is a double-crosser!" She hissed in an angry fit, pointing a finger at his nose, "She told Azula we'd be here!"

Zuko scowled at her, pushing her accusatory prod away, and lifted his own mask from his face. The niche was cramped, and so movement was difficult. There was quite a bit of brushing and nudging, and Zuko dearly hoped it was a broom handle poking him where it oughtn't. "_I_ never wanted to trust her to begin with," he argued back in a heated whisper, fixing a glare onto the waterbender throwing allegations. "I _said_ we couldn't trust her, but you had to go all _'Everyone deserves a chance.' _"

The waterbender bristled on the spot, "I guess _Fire Nation_ people are just _pigeon-snakes_."

"Better than being a helpless _penguin_."

Voices low, breaths heated, the pair could do nothing but glare in the too-small compartment, dark and cramped, heat growing with their rising tempers.

The edges of their masks, pulled back atop their heads, clashed together, the space so confined. But their discomfort was, for the moment, forgotten, and their temporary friendship and camaraderie was set aside, as a question of principle and trust rose before them. Someone's knee was pressed into someone's thigh and someone's elbow was resting not-so-comfortably on a shelf. But neither of them seemed to notice with the impending argument.

"I don't know why I even _bother_," Katara spat, trying to move, extricating herself from the prince (and only making things worse). "Oh Sages, _move_ will you?"

"Oh, no, I think this is rather cozy, don't you?" He retorted, voice dripping with sarcasm as he attempted to shift away from her, the walls refusing to let them separate.

Katara felt something graze across her backside and she let out an involuntary yelp.

Zuko's hand latched over her lips and he was still, as she glared daggers. His other hand lifted to his own mouth, a single finger drawn across, in a sign of silence, and she realized with heightening terror that something _else_ grazed along her posterior.

Something that _moved_ and it certainly wasn't Zuko, as she was acutely aware of each and every point of contact. His palm curved across the lower half of her face, her knee bracing against his inner thigh (which must have been the most awkward), her elbow digging into the crook of his neck, and the inside of his elbow curled at her side, smashed between her form and the shelves in some awkward almost-embrace.

And she remained motionless, letting her heart rate calm once more, letting her breath even out after their quarrel, and she found that his skin smelled of cinnamon and tea and something else she couldn't quite pin, but it was soothing, and she relaxed. His face was shadowed, their only source of light a dim and flickering candle propped above them encased in a bowl of glass. The smoke went up an airway leading elsewhere, and she wondered if someone could have heard them through the vent.

After a moment of nothing, she finally ventured to speak. "What is it?"

His hand left her mouth and he shook his head. "Nothing, I just can't think with you squawking so much."

* * *

"Another!" Smellerbee exclaimed as she and Sokka twirled and twirled amongst the dancers, the children following suit, each sporting a mask of varying colors.

Sokka laughed as they switched and the youngest, Dagger, grabbed hold of his hand. He chuckled and took her up into the air, swirling her in circles, and she threw her head back, spreading her arms out as she stared at the starry sky. "Faster!" She enthused, and the warrior did so, coercing a childlike laugh from the littlest Freedom Fighter.

The Fire Lord Festival was fun, for a celebration in a place that restricted such things as dancing, and self-expression, and Sokka wondered why the people were allowed now, to take part in such festivities. But it occurred to him then, that the strict enforcement of the No-Fun Policy was probably only practiced in the Capital City. He asked a girl, donning a silver dragonfly mask, if this was true, and she affirmed, commenting that the Capital City might be pretty and the people there might be classy, but she preferred her freedom to any fancy title.

He laughed as he twirled her away and met up with Smellerbee once more, the girl clearly enjoying herself.

"Have you seen Her Highness?" Sokka called above the music and the din.

But she only shook her head, screaming a loud, "_What!_"

And then the floor parted, males on one end and girls on the other, so Sokka and Smellerbee had to separate. They formed two lines, going beyond the area designated for dancing, but that didn't matter, no one cared. At the head of the celebration a platform was erected, upon which two thrones were propped up. The Royal family watched with disinterested eyes as the men performed some wild and extravagant dance (consisting of flailing limbs, loud yelling, and stomps – all of which Sokka was rather good at). The women looked on haughtily as their counterparts stomped their feet, and Smellerbee laughed when Sokka _stomped_ on someone's foot, but it was all in good fun.

Then the women danced, did light tapping on the spot, clapped here and there, a Fire Nation dance it seemed, or otherwise a Provincial dance, simple enough for anyone to learn then and there, and fun enough to keep everyone entertained. Sokka grinned when Smellerbee missed a beat and clapped when she should have ducked, the woman beside her swing an arm out (as every other woman down the line had done) successfully punching the Freedom Fighter in the face.

Smellerbee spluttered and stumbled into the person to her right, and down went the line of women, like a row of glittery dominoes.

Ozai frowned at the mess, and turned to his daughter, face devoid of all interest in the dancing, the celebration. "You should show these imbeciles how to do it properly," he suggested, and the princess gave her father a _look_, a look that only she could give because if anyone even dared to think of giving the Fire Lord such a look, they'd be burned before even batting an eye.

"Really, father, you think I would lower myself to their level?" The girl shook her head, letting a sigh escape her lips, as she returned her attention to the dancing, the line of females picking themselves up – no harm done, it seemed, and what a pity because a brawl would be so much more entertaining. She would much rather be at the palace, awaiting her brother and whoever else had the audacity to infiltrate her home, but nothing could be done. There were the perks of being a princess, oh there were most definitely the perks, but there was always a down side to everything.

There was a youthful man, a man she recognized as a worker in the palace, who was at her end of the long line of men dancing, and he flashed what she could only presume was his most charming smile. "Princess!" He called over the music, "Princess!" Ozai's stare was enough to turn away a lesser man (or a smarter one), but the moron didn't get the message. "Princess, how about a dance?"

Azula set her golden eyes upon him, gaze piercing and unforgiving. "I don't _dance_."

"Come on, it's easy!" The boy persisted.

"If you want to keep your tongue you will stop speaking at once," she snapped, hand gripping the throne's armrest.

He was put-out, but said nothing more, instead returned to the dancing.

"I believe you broke his heart," Ozai commented, fairly amused.

Azula rolled her eyes, resting her chin in her hand, "If he kept pestering me I would have broken much more than that."

The line of men and women merged once again, into a mass of masks and lavish sashes and things, coins clinking to the rhythm of the live music, the pounding of canvas drums and the stringed accompaniment of the pipa. Sokka and Smellerbee hooked arms and leapt around each other, before unhooking only to spin around someone else and it was a human chain of masks and laughter, and Sokka made his way to the royal end, where Ozai and Azula looked on with utter boredom. He felt himself tense up, conscious of them, but knew they wouldn't recognize him. As he turned, he stepped on his partner's foot and stumbled over legs, feeling his arms and chin hit the ground before he could realize what happened.

His Pai Sho tile escaped from his pocket, skidding across the floor, out into the open, and Sokka cringed at the impact of his fall, feeling the fresh air cool the sweat dripping down his forehead—

_Fresh air?_

The warrior looked up instantly, into a standing Azula, her eyes menacing, a twisted snarl on her lips. But before she could do a thing, a resounding _"FIGHT!"_ emerged from the crowd and the masses wove together, taking part in, what he presumed was, the normal progression of a festival. His sight of Azula was instantly obscured, and he scrambled up to his feet. He could see her attempting to see through the crowd, and heard her thunderous demand for everyone to _freeze_, and he did as was told, ducked and covered between bodies.

Azula stepped down from the platform, golden eyes fierce. "Form a _line_," she ordered sharply, and everyone did so, including Sokka, who had fit his mask back over his face.

He saw Smellerbee standing across from him, the other children lined up beside her, and his eyes moved to her pack – they split the explosives between them, in case something like this happened. The girl nodded, knowing what was on his mind, and clutched a hand at the strap of her backpack.

Sokka was a bit further down the line, but he knew Azula would catch him – if she didn't see his mask, she'd just _know_ because Azula seemed to know _everything_ (which was why her shocked and alarmed face was utterly _priceless_). She was nearing and nearing and he closed his eyes, heart racing in his chest and he knew if Toph was here she'd tell him to quit it because he'd be giving her a headache.

The humor helped his mind clear, but the impending _doom_ was still very much there.

Azula stalked down the line of men and women, glancing at both sides in case the idiot tried to hide amongst the females. She walked like a lioness hunting her prey – and the look in her eyes suggested as much. She could taste a victory, another trump card to play – one by one she was gathering the Avatar's friends, collecting them like invaluable figurines, propping them on a shelf back at home. A sardonic smile etched across her lips as she paused, pointing a finger.

"_You!_" She hissed, grabbing the mask only to find a grinning Shin behind it.

"Princess! Did you change your mind?"

Azula slapped the mask onto his face, and let out a vicious growl, eyes spanning the faces watching her.

Sokka gulped, trembling at his spot. He had his machete and his boomerang, but for some reason, he doubted either would be of much help against a lightning wielding Azula. It was at that moment when a riot broke out, someone firebent at someone else and suddenly everyone was running and in the frenzied confusion, Sokka latched onto Smellerbee, who latched onto a child and down a chain they were, the Freedom Fighters.

"Sound the alarm!" Azula's voice demanded, "We've got enemies on our territory! Inform the palace! Secure the perimeters!" She let out a demonic sort of snarl, in the most elegant manner possible, as she spun around, shooting off more commands, "I want that _peasant_ alive!"

And then someone grabbed hold of Sokka's arm and he gasped as he was tugged out of the mess and into some sort of home and the door locked behind him and he stood in front of the kids (who were crying and trembling and clasping onto their guardians), as any brave warrior would, knees positively shaking.

"Stay back!" He warned, drawing his boomerang.

It was a woman, quite large and affluently dressed. She lifted her mask, giving him a reprimanding look, "Stop it, I'm here to help. Now put that silly toy away before you poke an eye out!"

Sokka didn't even have a chance to explain quite defensively that his boomerang was _not_ a toy, as Smellerbee pushed the warrior aside, pointing a horrified finger at their savior,

"_Ambassadress?_"

* * *

Katara was just about to tell the Fire Prince that she could very easily move her knee to the left a mere inch and crush his familial jewels, when pounding footsteps reverberated above them, causing dust to haze down from the ceiling. Arguments aside, the pair met eyes and Zuko stole the words right out of her mouth, "We have to get out of here." No sooner did he say it when alarm bells were rung and Zuko knew they had to get out of there _fast_. "Here, move to your right," he urged quietly, voice strained as he attempted to free his hand, "No, no, your _other_ right!" He whispered.

"I only _have_ one right!" The waterbender snapped.

Zuko let out an exasperated sigh as more thundering footsteps shook the ceiling. "Here, just _move_," he whispered, shifting so that he faced the door, blocking her from the barrier, (a _painful _experience, with their limbs crashed together, bones threatening to shatter, and he must have gotten cuts and bruises, but at the moment they really didn't have the luxury to escape without a few scratches) and he fiddled with the handle, shaking it loose, until the door finally opened, exposing the pair to fresh air. They stumbled out, Katara shutting the door, and all it took was the flickering of shadows across the way for the prince to realize that guards were closing in. Without a second thought, he grabbed her hand once more, lowering the mask over his face, "_This way!_"

They dashed down the hall, taking sharp turns so as to avoid guards, but it was no use, once the alarm bells were rung, everyone was alerted. Katara could feel her blood pounding in her head and she steadied her breathing as best she could, but she was afraid even if she refused to show it. Zuko came to a skidding halt after thundering up a flight of stairs.

Mai's voice was up ahead.

"Over there," she informed of the coming guards, "I saw someone running that way," and she gestured in a direction Zuko and Katara hadn't been.

The prince didn't waste time pondering who she must have seen, and instead continued in the opposite direction, turning down a hall. They were in the servants' quarters, the floor reserved for palace workers and the like. He didn't want to admit it now, but he was lost. His hand gripped her wrist firmly, and they wandered around the servants' chambers, passing door after door, avoiding ones that were opening, and then he turned and faced a wall, and Katara bumped into him.

"Now what?" She whispered, clearly frightened but reluctant to show it.

Zuko scowled, turning to scan the hall where they came. Shadows, faint but growing, of people running decorated the far wall. "Now…now…" his eyes jumped to the doors, which one, which one? He debated over-taking whoever the residents might be, and stood there a moment, thinking of what to do – and his uncle's words echoed in the back of his mind _You never think things through!_

And he figured, _Screw it_, and bolted into the nearest door, because he's come this far not thinking things through, and he's done fairly well for himself.

They shut the door behind them at once, backs against it, and Zuko listened as the footsteps faded, presumably heading a different direction, and he sighed.

Katara nudged him and he glanced at her. Her eyes were wide, surprised, but in a good way, and he looked before them, a slow grin spreading across his lips. The waterbender waltzed forward, heading towards the left side of the room where an array of beautiful silken dresses were hung. To the right were rows of breastplates and chain mail and helmets. She turned to him, pulling two gowns from the racks, "What do you think?" She asked, holding each one up to her form, "Green or blue?"

The prince quirked a brow, locking the door behind him as he wandered over towards the guards' section. "Blue, definitely," and he took down a red tunic hanging on the wall.

He always wondered where the laundry room was.

He removed his shirt at once, tugging off the mask, and pulled the shirt over his head. He glanced up to see Katara staring at him, flustered, and a little affronted, as if he had just personally insulted her. "What are you waiting for? Someone to dress you?" And he grabbed chain mail, fitting it over himself.

Katara flushed, "Do you _mind_?" She pressed.

"No, not at all," he said off-handedly as he made for the pants.

The waterbender faded red and turned away, "Just - don't look!" She demanded, clutching the blue dress, the fabrics soft and silky against her fingertips.

Zuko scoffed, but she heard him drop his pants, heard him kick his boots aside, heard him shuffling and rustling of clothes and armor. "You really think I'd be thinking of _that_ at a time like _this?_"

The curious part of her might have asked just _when_ he'd think of _this_, but the logical part of her told her to shut up and change. So she did. It wasn't too difficult, but she was insanely red throughout the entire process because he was right there, and though she was behind racks of beautiful clothes, she still felt completely exposed (and all he could see – if he even dared look, which he _didn't_, he had more self control than that!– would have been her feet).

Katara finished and stepped out, sloppily tying the obi behind her. "Well?"

Zuko spared her a fleeting glimpse as he chose a helmet, "Yeah, nice," and then did a double-take. There was no denying that she looked stunning in blue, he missed her in blue. It hadn't occurred to him that she had been wearing red for about two weeks. He blinked then, fitting the helmet over his head so as to hide the spreading blush. They dropped their clothes in a pile on the floor (and he had tucked his Blue Spirit mask away beneath his armor). "You're not emotionally attached to any of this, are you?"

The girl shook her head.

"Good."

And he burned the evidence to a crisp.

"Let's go."

The moment they stepped out the room, a commanding voice barked, "You, there!"

They froze and looked over to a guard waving them over.

"Come on, what are you doing? We're being called on alert and you're fooling around with the concubines? You're lucky I don't report you!"

Zuko nodded, not saying a word, and gave Katara a look that told her to play along.

"And you," the guard called of the waterbender, "You shouldn't be wandering around during a code red, escort her to her quarters and then meet out on the courtyard!"

Zuko saluted and the man disappeared.

Katara punched him in the arm.

"_What?_" The prince groused, though it didn't hurt.

She glared, "Why didn't you tell me I was browsing through the _concubine_ dresses?"

And Zuko didn't say a thing as he took her hand (he had been doing that quite often as of late, he realized) because had he known they were concubine dresses he wouldn't have let her wear one. Likewise, he had no idea where the concubines slept, but it didn't matter. He led her up another flight of stairs so that they were on ground level and everyone seemed in disarray, or otherwise in some sort of manic rush.

He glanced around, golden eyes sharp. "Listen, Katara, if it comes down to it," he took a breath, giving her hand a light squeeze, "I want you to run—"

"What?" The waterbender asked, jerking her head in his direction, "Why would I run? I'm not going to run – _you_ run!"

Zuko blinked, at a loss. "I'm not going to run!"

"Well you're only telling me to because you feel obligated!"

"What does that even _mean_?" He asked in a quick murmur as they blended amongst the others.

"You're offering because it's the _right_ thing to do."

"Is that _bad?_"

Katara was about to tell him that _yes_, it _was_, when it dawned on her that _no_…it actually _wasn't_, and she shut her mouth, turning away. It wasn't bad; on the contrary, it was very _good_, and noble and dashing and _chivalrous_ of him… "I'm not running," she said resolutely. Before Zuko could say anything in reply, a woman with graying hair spotted them and snatched Katara away.

"You wretch! What are you doing out here with a guard? You know better! You ought to be given twenty lashes, but in a time of crisis I'll have to let it pass. Come now, to the chambers you go!"

And with that the duo was separated.

Katara looked back at Zuko with worried eyes, but he only nodded, a silent promise of return, before joining the other guards out onto the courtyard. The woman dragging her (with a vice-like grip even worse than Zuko's, like a bird, talons, tearing…) was tall and had stiff posture, back straight, shoulders drawn, chin high. Katara stumbled behind her quick gait, wondering if the woman's fingertips would leave bruises. She led (dragged, yanked, towed) Katara back below to the servant's floor and brought her before grand double doors she couldn't believe she and Zuko missed.

With two sharp knocks, a girl, stunningly beautiful but obviously much younger than the waterbender, answered, blinking in fear. "Y-Yes, Lady Muzuashii?" She asked tentatively, peering at the concubine she clearly didn't recognize.

"This one has wandered far from her home," Muzuashii snapped, thrusting Katara inside. "See to it that she gets no dinner tonight." And she turned on her heel, flouncing away.

The door closed and Katara found herself staring into a room filled with beautiful young ladies, all dressed like her, but with their hair up and done, their makeup fresh and flawless. The girl who answered the door blinked up at Katara. "You're one of the intruders, aren't you?"

"W-what?" Katara asked in alarm, "No—I—"

"Katara?"

The waterbender's eyes shot up and she eyed a familiar-looking concubine who seemed to have pushed herself forward through the flock of girls.

"_Suki!_"

* * *

"You!" The Ambassadress exclaimed, staring aghast at Smellerbee, "You're affiliated with the White Lotus?"

Smellerbee scowled, "The White What-Now?"

Sokka lifted a hand, "Wait, a minute," he said, glancing back from one, then to the other. "You two _know_ each other?"

"That's the horrendous creature who spilled tea all over me!" The Ambassadress declared, giving Smellerbee the evil eye.

The warrior, however, only turned to his friend, letting out an amused laugh. "_That's_ the hog-monkey who—?"

"My _name_ is Lin Lin!" The woman screeched.

Smellerbee promptly elbowed her companion in the gut. "You're _good_?" She asked of the stuffy woman.

Lin Lin flustered, "Of course I'm _good!_"

Sokka raised a hand again. "So…you're good, we're good…how about helping us escape then? We've kind of got a psychotic lightning-bender after us. I know you must get that all the time, but it'd be great if we could, you know, be on our way…?"

The Ambassadress shook her head, clearly confused. "Yes, of course – but wait, wait. Are you part of the White Lotus or not?" She questioned.

"I am, they're not," the warrior answered dully, "And I think I just heard the cry of doom outside and judging by the sudden light, Azula must have firebent someone into oblivion…seeing as that is the case, I really think it would be best if—"

A short and portly man appeared then, blinking at the guests.

He glanced down at the tray in his hands, and then back up.

"Should I get more tea?"

Smellerbee slapped a hand to her forehead. "Danger? Crazy psycho? Safety?" She exclaimed, waving her arms in wild gesticulations first towards the door, then away from it.

"Right, right, of course, first – all of you, down to the cellar and—"

"This place has a _cellar?_" Sokka couldn't help but ask, and the Ambassadress shot him a look, "Sorry, sorry, it just looks so small."

Lin Lin rolled her eyes, "Come on, all of you, _ugh_, Rohi and I'll have to go help Azula—"

"You'll have to _what?!_" Smellerbee roared.

"Re_lax_ you little Hellion," The woman said in irritation, "We're against them all. Now go before she busts down our door and fries all of our hides! After we deal with this we're going to have a talk, and then we'll message Iroh…"

Everyone was ushered down a secret passage where they were herded like wolf-sheep into a pen. Lin Lin and her husband, Rohi, left, demanding them to stay silent and still and not to come out until they were fetched, before disappearing back up into the world to face a mood Azula. Sokka looked around, eyeing the walls, the closed space, the underground aura of it all, and plopped himself down onto a seat.

"Great, we're back to square one."

Smellerbee shrugged, "Would you rather be out _there_?"

Sokka dropped his shoulders, "Point taken."

The Freedom Fighter let out a heavy sigh, looking at the stairs. "I just…I'm worried about, you know…"

"I know," Sokka whispered, clutching his backpack of firecrackers, "But they're smart—or, well, Katara's smart."

"The Fire-Pest wouldn't let anything happen to her," Smellerbee stated simply.

"You think?" The warrior asked absently, beating himself up for letting Katara go.

She nodded, confidently, almost objectively because she was so certain. "I _know_."

* * *

The search was in vain – the peasant was gone, slipped through her fingers, and Azula and her father left Hin Siu as a charred mess. She was furious, positively _enraged_, and she hoped that at least the guards at the palace (or at least Mai and Ty Lee) were competent enough to have captured her darling brother who (she was certain as she was powerful) dropped by. But when they reached the Palace, all she found was her guards assembled at the courtyards and Mai and Ty Lee standing with them, the former looking dully bored, and the latter flirting with a few boys.

Her minions were _pathetic_.

But they were _her_ minions, and no one had as accurate precision as Mai, and no one could block chi like Ty Lee…so she was stuck with them.

She scanned the guards, eyes narrowed and suspicious as she went down the line, before finally arriving at the Captain. "What have you found?" She inquired harshly.

He lifted two muddied cloaks, "These. At the chute, Lady Azula."

Zuko clenched a fist from his station, but he held still, mentally cursing himself for having forgotten the cloaks.

The princess frowned. The chute. Her brother _must_ have been on the premises - or still was. "Is that _all_?"

"Well, we conducted an entire palace search but no one could found," the older man informed her, holding on to his fear. "It's as if the earth swallowed them whole."

Azula had to refrain from striking him down. "_The earth swallowing them whole?_" She repeated, "Are you _really_ as stupid as you—" And then she blinked. Her eyes were cool, calm, royally _evil_, and she nodded. "You are dismissed." Without so much as another word, the princess barked for her cohorts to follow her inside, as she made her way down to the single prisoner earthbender who would dare help a pair of renegades.

-  
-

"Let me _out_ of here!" The girl exclaimed, fighting against the chains binding her wrists, her ankles.

"There's really no use struggling," a dangerous and almost venomous voice drawled, lazily, tiredly, as if she dealt with this every day. And she probably did. The princess rolled her eyes, setting her hands on her hips in royal elegance – boredom. "These chains are especially made, a new gadget from that Earth Kingdom mechanist. Chi-blocking cuffs."

"And they come in three different colors!" Ty Lee added with a cheerful smile.

Toph shook her head, refusing to give in, and continued to struggle. "They'll break me out you know," she countered, "They'll come and they'll _kill you_. You and the hog-monkey you call a Fire Lord!"

Azula let out a disinterested sigh. "Oh please, you're even more dramatic than Zuzu."

"They're coming for me…" the earthbender insisted, tightening her hands into fists.

The princess only smirked, lips drawn into a devious smile. "I know." She lifted the two cloaks then, covered in fresh mud. "And I also know that people broke into the palace today."

Toph snorted, "Is that what all the ruckus was about? I thought you broke a nail."

Ty Lee giggled and Azula sent her a sever glare, before returning her sights onto the newly caught earthbender prisoner. "Well, two people breached the defense and are somewhere in here, I know it."

"Bravo, would you like a medal?" The girl cracked.

"I know you're hiding them," Azula stated evenly, eyes narrowing at the bender immune to her many intimdating faces.

Toph could only raise her brows. "Um, hello?" She shook her chains, "Where would I hide them, in my pants?"

"You've seen them, then," the firebender prompted.

"I'm _blind!_" She let out in an exasperated sigh, "Honestly, what _is_ it with people forgetting?"

Azula groused, tossing the cloaks at her feet. "I know you know they're here, and I _will_ find them."

"Whoever _they_ are, they're not _stupid_ enough to let you find them."

She grinned and Toph didn't need to see it, the smirk was obvious in her tone. "Oh, but you see, they will be, because they'll come back to rescue _you_."

Toph waited for her and her friend to leave (where was Miss Doom-and-Gloom?) before attempting to break free of the chains once more, expending her energy, wasting her time, but she tried and tried, because no one else would, and these in those other cells, their spirits were broken, but hers would never be crushed – not by a spoiled little narcissistic princess, not by _any_one.

"Sokka, Katara, Zuko," she murmured under her breath, "whoever you are…_please_…don't come find me."

* * *

_Avatar:_

_We've had a change of plans. Sokka, Smellerbee and six children are currently residing here, at your Swordmaster's home. There was an uprising in the Fire Nation and the mission has been revealed. We will need to plan something new, but for now, lay low and do not – _do not – _venture into enemy territory. My nephew and your waterbending Sifu have yet to be heard from. Come here at once – _at once, _do you hear me? No detours, or else your tea will get cold and I will not warm it for you._

_The Dragon of the West_

Aang lowered the letter, gray eyes determined as they scanned over the faces staring back.

Mazo, Jing-Wei, Bumi…

Numbers dwindling, dwindling _fast_.

He nodded, fist crinkling the message.

"We're going into the Fire Nation."

* * *

**WELL? How was it? C:**  
Grammar and spelling errors aside - I'll fix those after I get some sleep.

**BY** the way. This fic will have a sequel. I thought you guys might like to know. Lol.  
Reviews are appreciated, yo. I'd love to hear from all those _Phantom Readers _lurking nearby.

**

* * *

**

Chapter XIII – Preemptive Strike

He grabbed her, placing a blade at the edge of her throat, and Jing-Wei let out a strangled cry, "Aang!"

The Avatar hesitated, surveying their enemy with hardened eyes. "Let her go!" He demanded.

"Stay back! Or I'll kill her!"

Aang took a step forward.

"Don't try me, Avatar!" The boy growled, tone lacking room for negotiation.

The group of benders, friends brought together once more, stood around the pair, watching with careful eyes, debating whether or not to attack.

Jing-Wei grasped at the strong hand about her neck, wanting to bend her way out of it, but knowing she couldn't. Even if her life was at stake. She couldn't, she couldn't bring herself about to harm him. Tears swam in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks in callous bitterness, and she shook her head, pleading with her captor. "Please, please, don't do this! You don't have to--"

But he only scoffed, pressing the blade against her flesh so that a thin line of red marred her pale complexion, inciting a shrilled gasp from the girl named after a bird.

"Stop!" Aang exclaimed, hand tightening about his folded glider, unsure of what to do.

And out of nowhere an arrow flew by, stabbing their enemy in the side.


	13. Preemptive Strike

**IT'S **midnight and I'm dead tired, and I worked on this chapter for 6 hours or so, and I'm tired and sleepy and so I apologize for rushed parts or spelling and grammar errors - I'll fix them tomorrow. I would definitely appreciate feedback. And coffee. I would greatly appreciate coffee.

**THANKS**: _Fiery-chan, Groggy-Rae, AliensRockMyWorld, Harlequin Jade, ChipFest_

**I'M **forgetting a few readers, I know it, but I'm just that tired. Everyone who's reviewed this from when I first started, and kept with me through to here.

**_PEACE._**

* * *

**A C Q U I E S E N C E **

* * *

_Aang lowered the letter, gray eyes determined as they scanned over the faces staring back._

_Mazo, Jing-Wei, Bumi…_

_Numbers dwindling, dwindling fast._

_He nodded, fist crinkling the message._

"_We're going into the Fire Nation."_

* * *

_**Chapter XIII **_

**Preemptive Strike**

* * *

**Z**uko unclenched his fist as Azula waltzed away in a manner most provocative and intimidating. He would admit that his sister was beautiful, anyone would admit that, but the fact remained that she was pure evil, right down to the core, and, he supposed, she was as beautiful on the outside as she was ugly on the inside – which was saying something. Not that the pathetic love-sick sap standing beside him in line much cared for what was on the inside, unless it was inside her _clothes_. A thought that made the prince cringe in disgust.

"She might be damn scary and a sociopath bent on world domination, but when she's standing there looking like a goddess, you really learn not to give a damn," the boy gushed knowingly, giving Zuko a grin, "Know what I mean?"

The firebender scowled behind his mask, eyes narrowing at the mere thought of _knowing_ what the desperate boy meant. "No," he answered truthfully, curtly, and a little disgusted, "I don't."

The line was dismissed and the guards relaxed, moseying every which way, some returning into the palace, others milling about, talking of the intruders and how there really weren't any, and how the Princess Azula was off her rocker (and how none of them _cared_ because she was the most beautiful being to grace the Fire Nation). Zuko decidedly ignored such (_sickening_) conversations and made a move towards the palace entrance, when the infatuated soldier blocked his path. It took the prince a second to realize it wasn't an act of hostility.

More like…amity.

Which was a welcome change, but not when Katara was somewhere in the palace, without him. Not when they were the intruders. The boy was clearly oblivious to the aura of _get the hell away from me_ radiating from Zuko, seeing as he removed his helmet and stretched out an arm in what could only be perceived as one of those careless shrugs. A _man_ shrug. "Seriously?" he asked in a pitch higher than his normal voice, "You don't see it? How can you _not_?" He went on, turning to match pace with the prince, "Princess Azula's flawless! Well, alright, she's got that whole 'I'm strong, fear me or I'll kill you' thing going on, but with a body like that—" and he maneuvered his hands in an exaggerated vase-like shape through the air, "–who cares?"

_I care,_ Zuko thought distastefully. She was his _sister_ – that was just _wrong_. And there was also her hobby of torturing him. That kind of doused any care on his part of how _attractive_ Azula might be. He'd much rather hold a torch for his uncle than her.

Apparently Zuko's silence was mistaken for _interest_ in the subject at hand.

"You really don't see it," the guard continued, walking with the prince into the palace, "How can you _not?_"

Zuko rolled his eyes, walking with a purpose, as if he knew where he was going. Well, of course he knew where he was going – nothing really changed about the palace since he's been gone. The staircases were still there, the gaudy doors and the rooms and the chandeliers and candles – all there, all accounted for. Except the family tapestry hanging at the landing of the grand staircase that once featured a group of four (or rather, a two groups of two) was down to a smug-looking pair, smirking to greet whosoever was unfortunate enough to enter their (not-so) humble abode. One man older and menacing, his hand on the shoulder of a younger girl with a malicious glint in her eye.

"I got it!" The boy beside him (temporarily forgotten) snapped his fingers and turned to Zuko, pointing at him, helmet tucked beneath his arm. "She's not your type."

Zuko blinked, "Uh…yeah," he agreed. Maybe agreeing would get this guy off his back? "That's it."

"Huh, I thought Azula was everyone's type…" the soldier mused idly, stroking the pathetic tuft of hair at his chin that he proudly considered a beard.

_Yeah, if you're into the mass-murdering type_, Zuko couldn't help but think as he glanced around, spotting that uptight woman who had dragged Katara away walking out of a hall. He stepped in that direction, and the infatuated boy followed.

"So what is your type?" He asked, "I mean, if perfect isn't. No, no, wait – let me guess—"

The prince scowled, "I like the quiet type."

"Quiet, huh? I guess that makes sense. Girls who talk too much can be pretty annoying, I suppose. Not much of a talker, are you? I kind of like the talkative ones, though – they're entertaining. I mean, if she's pretty enough I guess it wouldn't matter…we wouldn't be doing much talking anyway, know what I mean?" And he did it again, that smile, that elbowing nudge.

Zuko gave him an annoyed look he couldn't see.

"You know you don't got to wear that helmet around anymore," the boy pointed out, trotting alongside him.

"I know," Zuko answered tersely, fisting a hand to avoid striking the poor idiot out cold. Maybe in the halls when no one was around…

"I don't recognize you though, you must be new here. I'm Red – well, no. That's not my real name. But it's cooler than my actual name, besides everyone here's got an alias. You got one yet?"

"Uh, no…" Zuko felt his nails digging into his palm as they neared the hallway. _Almost there_…

"Well then I'll give you one," Red offered, thinking he found a new friend. "How about _Shadow_, it's mysterious and dark and silent – kind of like you! Or, or what about _Whisper_…nah, that sounds kind of girly. Oh, I got it! _Pudge._"

"_Pudge?_" The prince couldn't help but retort, jerking his head to look at his counterpart.

Red nodded. "Yeah!" He exalted, "It's a great nickname. It's clever 'cause you're _not_ Pudgy."

Zuko kept his mouth shut as they moved into the _shadows_ of the hall way and turned the corner. They stopped there, and it seemed a common thing to do seeing as _Red_ didn't take much notice. He continued on about nicknames and how they had to be witty. How they could make or break a soldier – and as he turned to glance back out, the prince lifted a hand to deliver a blow—

"What're we doing here anyway? Oh! Are you going to go check up on the concubines?"

The prince stopped mid-throw and lowered his fist just as Red turned back. "Concubines?" He repeated in light surprise.

"You know, those girls who are pretty but not as pretty as Azula but keep us men entertained while we're at the palace because it's what they're supposed to do…?"

Zuko resisted delivering the blow and nodded stiffly, "Yeah. Yeah I'm going to check up on the concubines."

Red smirked. "Ha, alright, let's go!" He said as he hooked an arm around the prince's armored shoulders, leading him down a nearby staircase, "And here I was on the brink of deeming you asexual or something!"

Punching someone had never been so tempting.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" The Kyoshi warrior asked, unable to stifle the laugh that escaped her lips as Katara lunged for her. The other concubines were fathered around, eyeing the newest comer with intrigue. "Where's Sokka?" Suki went on, "And the others?"

Katara pulled away, in absolute disbelief that Suki was _here_, of all places, right in the Fire Nation palace. "I…the others, I don't know," she said, caught between being frantic and ecstatic. "Zu—" She stopped at once, though, biting her tongue for daring to reveal that the banished prince was with her.

Suki read the hesitance in her friend's eyes, and understood. "What are you all doing? Get back to your business," she snapped at the girls, all of whom were younger. They did so at once, turning away to primp their hair and paint their nails and faces, adorning their hair with jewels and things. The Kyoshi warrior took Katara's hand, leading her through a door and into another section of the Concubine quarters. It was separated up into various rooms – one large one for the apprentices, two large ones for the concubines, and three smaller rooms for…well, Katara supposed they were for the significant people.

She was surprised that Suki led her to one such room.

It was lavishly adorned, with red and gold silks, and Suki shut the door behind them, locking it with a satisfying click. "Alright, you can tell me in here."

Katara eyed her friend warily, fingers itching to bend the water from the vases on a nearby table. "Suki…what is all this?" She asked, glancing about the room, at the paintings of the Fire Lord and other Fire Lords previous, at the gifts and fine things hanging about in her room. Her friend…couldn't have…

"Katara—" the girl began, taking a step towards her, but the waterbender stepped back.

"What is all this, Suki?" She asked again, cobalt gaze demanding.

"It's not what you think," Suki began.

"Well then you'd better explain now because the longer I'm in here the more it I think it _is_."

But it couldn't be. She couldn't be on the Fire Nation's _side_.

Suki removed the ridiculous hair piece adorning her locks, setting it carelessly on her vanity. "I'm…a concubine," she admitted, a bit shyly – but that was no surprise. "The Kyoshi warriors and I found Appa hurt and injured," she explained, watching her friend, "And we nursed him back to health. But Azula found us, and I got captured."

Katara did a mental sweep of her memory. Appa was missing. Suki was captured while they were still in Ba Sing Se? Sokka did mention that Suki was held prisoner…but he made it sound as though Azula was aware and this…this didn't seem at all like Suki was being held against her will, or tortured for that matter. The girl was living in the lap of luxury! (Her _Lady of the Night_ calls aside.)

"I was brought here, to remain with the other prisoners underground," Suki went on – and Katara knew the chambers she meant. "And I did for awhile, and it was awful. She always told me about some _Boiling Rock_ or something. Apparently it's some prison on an island," the warrior shrugged, "she kept telling me she'd put me in there to rot. That there's no way to escape.

"She kept asking me about you guys. About the Avatar and about her brother and all. I didn't know what you were up to, so I couldn't tell her anything and…and…" She stumbled here, on her words, lip quivering the slightest, and her hand flew up to cover her mouth, as if to stifle a sob, but no tears came. She looked so broken, so ashamed, that Katara reached out to place a gentle touch on her arm. The warrior offered a weak smile and nodded at the silent question, _Are you alright?_ "I've always prided myself in being strong and independent," she began, "But…but with everything that girl was putting me through I—I felt that if I _did_ know anything about you guys, I might have _told_ her—"

That was when the tears fell.

Katara took hold of her friend's shoulders, eyebrows furrowing in concern. Suki didn't strike her as the type of girl to crack under pressure, on the contrary, she was someone who could resolve, stick it through, persevere, and so as those first tears trailed down her face, smearing her carefully applied makeup, the bender couldn't help but feel for the poor girl. It took a lot to break her…and Katara couldn't imagine what Azula must have done.

"It's OK," the waterbender assured her as she led the Kyoshi warrior towards the bed, "Azula's insane – and a psychopath. But on top of all that, she's a genius, and manipulative. I'm sure she could break anyone if she had them in her claws long enough."

"But you don't understand," Suki went on, shaking her head, "I would have betrayed you. You and Aang and…and Sokka."

"But you didn't," Katara pointed out.

"Only because I didn't know anything!" The girl argued, moving out of her friend's consoling touches. "Why aren't you _mad_? Why aren't you yelling at me?"

Katara frowned, out of concern rather than anger. "What did she do, Suki?" She pressed softly, imploring her friend to answer, "What did she do to you?"

She looked away, her hair, freed now from the restricting hair pieces and pins, fell across her face, like a silken curtain of mahogany. "She just…she told me a lot about the prison and I really didn't care. She threatened me and everything but I didn't care…and then one day she brought up Sokka…and she was taking jabs at me through that, through him. She said she met him, ran into him, said she and her friends often chased you guys and that Sokka would just barely escape with his life. She told me that…that's she'd kill him next time and that it would be my fault, because she's only interested in the Avatar, and if I just told her where he was she'd…she'd take him and spare the rest of you but…but I didn't believe her.

"And there was this prisoner, this little girl from Gaoling in the Earth Kingdom. Her mother was killed in the invasion for defying the Fire Nation soldiers and she was brought here – I didn't know why, until she brought the girl to my cell," her voice staggered, hands clenching and unclenching, arms shaking at the memory. "If I didn't tell her where the Avatar was she would kill the girl," she revealed in a single breath, and she doubled over, covering her face with her hands, and Katara let her cry because only a friend would do so. Who was she to tell Suki to stop? That it was alright when it obviously wasn't?

Her hand moved to pat the warrior's back unsure of what to say, "Suki, I—"

She sat back up, shaking her head, thoroughly devastated. The girl's makeup covered her palms, cakes and splotches of white and red and some orange. "She killed her, Katara," Suki said in a deathly low tone, "That maniac killed her. The poor innocent girl who was crying for her mother. She _killed_ her, right in front of me – and I couldn't do anything about it because of those damned _chains_. She _killed _her, that poor, defenseless, lost little girl! Because I couldn't answer a stupid question!"

"That's not your fault," Katara countered, "It's not your fault that Azula is a cold-blooded murderer."

"I could have saved that little girl," Suki explained, biting at her lower lip, the tears streaming down her cheeks, tears of bitter regret and shame and vengeful hate. "I could have done something, I could have _lied_ – but…but if Azula found out I lied she'd just go ahead and kill that poor girl anyway and…and I didn't know what to do. I just watched, watched as the little girl screamed for her mom and cried and begged and Azula…Azula told her I was doing it. That it was _my_ fault, and that little girl ran up to me…she ran up to me and threw her arms around my waist and begged me to stop.

"She was crying, sobbing, looking up into my face, pleading for me not to kill her. And then Azula struck her down and I felt her arms loosen and she fell to the floor at my feet and I couldn't even pick her up!"

"It wasn't your fault," the waterbender tried again, her own voice shaking at the revelation, at the images of little girls – Dagger, Smellerbee – being murdered like that, as some ploy. Used. Disposed. "Suki, it wasn't your fault."

She glanced at her friend, eyes puffy and red, face contorted into mad grief that suggested she hadn't been able to tell anyone.

"Yes," Suki said gravely, resolutely, "it _was_. It was all _my fault_."

And Katara knew that she couldn't convince her friend otherwise despite how wrong she was.

Everything settled after that, the foulness of Azula's act mingling into the air, giving a poignant taste whenever either of them breathed, but finally Suki's tears subsided and they were left sitting at the foot of her bed, the warrior's hair that was perfectly pinned a mess around her face, her makeup that was perfectly made up smeared over her hands. She stared at her feet, at the shoes poking out from beneath the hem of her dress and sighed, slumping her shoulders.

"That was a few weeks ago," she added quietly, "And then I found out Aang was dead and Zuko was back and…I don't know. I snapped. By the time Azula was going to send me to the Boiling Rock it was around a weird lock down or something. I wanted to kill Ozai, and Azula…I never wanted to kill anyone so much in my life. But she and Ozai were underground and I was supposed to be dispatched to the prison…along with a few others. But Taihen – the girl that answered the door earlier? – she helped me.

"She disguised me as a concubine and took me in here and with all the chaos that happened the Day of Black Sun, Azula didn't even notice. I don't know if she eventually realized that I wasn't there, but she hasn't said a thing – hasn't realized I was still here. But that day…that day I was so relieved that Aang was alive, I thought you guys really had lost and…" Suki shook her head, "But you guys are fine, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Katara answered gently, "we are."

"But you're here," Suki said, voice still a hoarse from crying, "What happened. What are you doing here and why are you a concubine?"

Katara noted that Suki didn't explain why she was granted this room, but decided not to pry into the details just yet, not after her unexpected moment of catharsis. Instead she shrugged, directing her gaze to the floor. "Zuko came to help us," she stated bluntly, and grinned a bit at Suki's obvious surprise. "I know, I was shocked, too—" _Is that what you call it?_ Her mind whispered, but she dismissed the thoughts, the guilt. "—he became Aang's Firebending Master. We ran into Zuko's uncle at a village and…found out about a society. And then we separated, me, Sokka, and Zuko came here, to the Fire Nation, undercover."

"To spy," the warrior prompted.

"Exactly. Oh – Mai's—"

"Good," Suki supplied, "I know. She helped hide me, too, to, you know, cover up the trail."

Katara blinked, unsure of how to take the news, but decided to dwell on it later. "Well, she told us about a secret weapon Azula was working on that would harm or disable Aang's Avatar state, so Zuko and I came to investigate."

"During the festival," Suki said with the makings of a grin, fond and distant, but a grin nonetheless.

"Yeah," the bender affirmed, unable to keep her own smile from stretching across her lips. "Sokka and the others - we ran into an old friend and some kids in District Nine – they were supposed to be the look out at the festival in Hin Siu while Zuko and I infiltrated the palace," she trailed off, finishing with a shrug. "The rest is history, I guess."

"I guess," Suki agreed lightly. "So…does Sokka know you've been found out?"

"I don't know," Katara confessed, face falling at the mention of her brother. "Zuko and I just heard the alarms and took up disguises. I have no idea what happened at the festival…"

A moment of silence, and then Suki's hand was at her shoulder. "I'm sure he's alright. He's…crafty."

"Yeah, you're probably right…"

…

"So…" Katara began, trying to lighten the mood – or else change the subject, "How did you end up _here_?"

Suki laughed at this, waving her hand in dismissal. "Oh, well, that Taihen girl, she's from the Earth Kingdom and was captured, brought back here because she was exceptionally beautiful – some Ambassador's daughter or something, I don't know – and apparently the concubines here worship the late Fire Lady Ursa…? I don't know. The Fire Lady disappeared one night and the concubines worried for her because she was the only one who showed concern for them, who protected them against lecherous soldiers and such. Fire Lady Ursa, to them, is some sort of Spirit – some think she was killed the night of her disappearance, and that it was Ozai's fault. So over the years they've forged together and vowed to over-take the Fire Lord to avenge the woman's unjust death.

"A concubine who had visited the Earth Kingdom in her youth spoke of someone named Aunt Wu who made a prediction that '_a new addition to her family would provide the answers to the turmoil of the past_' when I stepped into the picture, they all just assumed it was me – silly, no? I guess I should be grateful to that 'prophecy' because it save me from whatever that prison is. _Inescapable_, according to Azula."

Katara let everything sink in, the story, the odd coincidence. She grinned lightly at the memory of Aunt Wu, at her predictions, at how they all came true, in some ironic round-about way. And then she blinked, turning back to her friend, face reddening a little. "Um, so…how's…how's business?"

It took Suki a second before she understood, and her own cheeks flushed. "Oh—er. Slow?" She answered awkwardly, "Well, I'm…I'm kind of. I'm _pure_," she said, face absolutely red, "So I'm reserved solely for the Fire Lord. And he hasn't called upon me so…"

The bender felt so immature blushing so much.

"The girls and I, we decided that I'd kill him when he…you know."

"Oh," Katara answered, a little confused, and then her eyes widened, "_Oh!_"

And the topic was dropped.

In hindsight, it would be quite a plan…for Suki, a harmless, virgin, concubine, to murder her sire the night he was to take away her purity. And she supposed Suki would be the best to even have a chance of taking him on – she was skilled (in _fighting_) and would be the best trained for such a…_ploy_. She doubted the other girls could even throw a proper punch. "So you've been waiting here for weeks to—?" Katara began, only to be interrupted by two knocks, swift and nervous, if knocks could be such things.

Both girls looked up as Taihen poked her head through the door. "Er…Kyo?"

"Hmm?" Suki answered of her fake name, "What is it?"

Taihen stepped fully through the door, delicate hands twisting into the front of her dress. "Fire Lord Ozai wants to see you."

* * *

The four sat together in tense silence, about the fire flickering in the sewage system. Aang stared into the flames, the words from Iroh's letter filtering through his head.

_There was an uprising in the Fire Nation and the mission has been revealed_

His hands curled into the fabrics of his pants, legs crossed beneath him at an attempt for meditation_._

_We will need to plan something new, but for now, lay low and do not – _do not – _venture into enemy territory._

Aang scowled and shut his eyes, doing his best to calm down, to relax, to get a hold of his emotions and force himself to think clearly. They had to come up with a plan. He, Jing-Wei, Mazo and Bumi…they had to come up with a plan of action. If the Fire Nation knew that there were spies in their midst, they would take extra precautions. He had to think this through…

_My nephew and your waterbending Sifu have yet to be heard from._

"I can't _stand_ this!" The Avatar exclaimed, leaping up onto his feet. "We can't just sit around here while Katara, Zuko and Toph are who-knows-where in the Fire Nation!" He let out an aggravated sigh, one of impatience and helplessness, "We have to go _now_! Who knows what's being done to them? What if—?"

"If your friends are so weak, why did we send them?" Mazo interrupted.

Aang turned onto the firebender, "They aren't weak!" He all but yelled at the boy, "They're very strong benders! Masters!"

He quirked a brow, "Then stop acting like such a child and sit down."

"He has a right to worry!" Jing-Wei snapped, rounding onto the firebender, "Those are his best friends!"

"They can take care of themselves, it's not wise to just rush into this. Don't ever fight with your emotions," Mazo said solemnly, "It's never good." And then he glanced over at Jing-Wei, shooting a wink, "It's why I always beat you at spars. You get so riled up."

She scowled, picking up a rock, "You take that back—!"

"See?" He said pointedly, lilting his mouth into a slight grin, the straw tilting upwards.

Jing-Wei let out a frustrated sigh, chucking the rock away, and fumed on the spot.

Aang glared at their display. "We won't get anywhere if you two can't stop arguing," he reprimanded.

"Neither will you get anywhere if you act on impulse," Bumi added, advocating Mazo's earlier statement. The crazy old man was watching his friend through widened, slightly maniacal eyes, "Remember what I used to always tell you? Think—"

"Outside the box!" Aang exclaimed, "Yeah, got it. And I'm thinking _so_ outside the box that there isn't even _a_ box to think _in _anymore and the only thing that I see is that I have to go save Katara—!"

Bumi blinked. "No, actually, I was going to say remind you of _Neutral Jing_," the dethroned king explained, "Remember? Listen and wait for the—"

"Right moment to attack," Aang finished lamely, dropping his arms. How could he have forgotten such a basic principle in earthbending? He took a deep and steadying breath – it was a lesson he would not soon lose sight of (not after everything Toph put him through to _learn_ it – _with_ a blindfold). "Alright, _alright_," he agreed, albeit reluctantly. "I'll wait."

Bumi nodded, "Just until your mind's cleared."

…

"OK, all clear, let's go—!"

"_Aang._"

The boy sat back down, sulking.

"Don't worry, Aang," Jing-Wei said quietly, patting his shoulder. "I'm sure they're fine. And when we can, we'll all go into the Fire Nation to save them."

He looked at her, gray eyes alarmed. "You're coming, too?"

She nodded, slowly, because despite her fear of the Fire Nation, despite her hatred for it and revulsion to the very idea of stepping on Fire Nation soil (Omashu did _not_ count), in her short time with Aang and Toph, she's come to see them as true comrades…and she'd do whatever it took to help them. Regardless of her fears.

"Yes. I am."

And she hadn't expected much of a reward, but Aang's beaming smile and hug of thanks was more than appreciated.

Bumi chuckled, tossing his cup of (rather badly brewed) tea into the fire, "Alright! We'll go tomorrow morning!"

* * *

_Knock, knock_.

Katara glanced up at the door from the main Concubine lounge. She stopped in the midst of her pacing, it had been only fifteen minutes when Taihen sent Suki up to Fire Lord Ozai, but she was worried, deathly worried, because that meant it was time for the plan to be executed. And she couldn't sit still, couldn't simple fret like the other girls who were milling about, biting their nails, whispering to each other. Taihen was the only one standing with her, pacing as well, muttering to herself what could only be plans of action should things go wrong.

The outside disturbance jarred everyone from their worry and Taihen smoothed out her face into one of practiced elegance, gliding over to the door and opening it. She scowled at the boy grinning like a doofus. "Red – you know you're banned from here, right?"

One arm was propped against the doorframe, his helmet tucked beneath the other one. "I'm here escorting a friend, Tai-Tai," he said, voice dripping with overbearing affection.

She rolled her eyes in disgust. "Well tell your _friend_, we're—"

"Wait!" Katara interjected, moving to the door. "Who's his friend?"

Red arched a brow at her, eyes scanning up her form and down again. "Are you _new_?"

It disgusted her to think that he was around the concubines enough to know if there were any additions.

The soldier smirked. "Well, I don't know if anyone told you, but I'm the welcoming committee here and—"

_Thud_.

He fell to the side, and Katara's disinterested eyes fell onto Zuko, fist still raised from his hit. She grinned in relief, recognizing his outfit from earlier, the way he stood, the eyes through the helmet – and how she could tell it was him was beyond her, but she supposed she had gotten so accustomed to his mannerisms that not even a mask could confuse her. "Zuko," she breathed out in quiet relief, glad that he found her, that he came back for her.

Taihen didn't appear to hear, or if she did, she didn't care.

Her eyes were still on the fallen Red, and she grinned wickedly, snapping her fingers. "Girls. Take _Red_ inside." Only after they did so (was that an evil glint in the girl's eyes?) did she return her attention to Zuko. "Remind me to thank you for that," she said charmingly. "So, what brings you here, anyway?"

Zuko glanced at Katara.

"Oh," Taihen answered with that sly smile, "I see. Well, alright. You two have fun, and have her back by tomorrow morning, got it?" And she pushed the newest comer out the door, not giving Zuko a chance to clarify just what he meant.

Katara flushed red at the implication and stared, dumbfounded, at the soldier.

"That's not what I—" He began, but she stepped in and caught him in an embrace. Zuko blinked, shocked at the gesture and quite unsure of what to do. It hadn't occurred to him to _return _her hug within those initial seconds of utter incredulity, and when it finally did, she had stepped away. And he couldn't help but ask, "What was that for?"

_For helping Aang._

_For helping the children._

_For helping _me.

"I…I don't know," the waterbender answered shyly, looking away, "I just…I was worried, alright?"

Zuko was about to say something, when footsteps echoed down the hall. "Let's go," he said hastily, taking her hand (again) and dragging her away, somewhere they could talk privately about important matters – and not at all about the products she used that made her hands so damned _soft_. He led her down the hall, up a flight of stairs, and down some more halls. Winding and turning, and she was lost, completely lost, but he seemed to know exactly where he was going. They turned into a dark room, and Zuko shut the door, flicking on the switch just as Katara commented that _'This had better not be another closet!'_

It wasn't.

She looked around, hand falling away from Zuko's without much thought. Shelves lifted up to the ceiling, shelves and stands, all filled with books. Books of all colors and sizes, and she looked over to Zuko, who didn't appear at all surprised with the room. "A library?" She asked, "Why here?"

Zuko scoffed, "Because no one ever comes here anymore," he said quietly, bitterness in his tone.

"Oh." As if she understood. She didn't.

"My mother used to take me in here," the prince elaborated, "Ever since she…well, no one's been in here anymore. Azula doesn't need to come here to read. She'll request books and they'll be brought to her – probably read to her, too." He added as an afterthought, though it was probably untrue. He turned back to Katara after taking a few steps into the room, as if taking in his surroundings, the memories, trying to feel for his mother's presence and knowing it was gone. "We need to find a way out," he said at last, "The chute will be guarded, but there's another way—"

"No," Katara cut in, "We can't."

"What do you mean _we can't_. Of course we can," the prince countered.

"No, no," the concubine explained, "I mean – there's someone else we need to take with us, and we can't…take her right now." Katara reddened once more – it seemed that red had become quite a common color for her as of late. "Suki, she's a friend of ours – she was captured and I found her and—"

"So we'll break her out and—"

Katara lifted a hand, a single finger, in protest, "One problem."

"What? Does Azula have her right now?" Zuko said sarcastically, not at all liking their worsening situation.

"No…your father does."

* * *

Suki, donned in the brightest green silks, tentatively approached the door to the Fire Lord's quarters. Large and covered in gold décor, it was obviously his chambers, if the guards were any indication. The doors were twice as tall as her, and she bowed to the stationed soldiers, daintily holding the tray of tea (one cup poisoned) in her delicate hands, in her doll-like motion, her foot caught at the hem of her dress and tea spilled over the edge of the brim. A guard reached to steady her, and he cringed as the hot water touched his skin. She gave him a discreet smile, her eyes, painted so that they slanted upwards with exaggeration, squinting with an almost sultry mischief, and he returned her smile with a grin of his own – earning a hit from the other along with a hissed, _"She's for the Fire Lord!"_

The girl refrained from crinkling her brow at the whispered statement as she glided through the doors and into the dimly lit room, where Fire Lord Ozai was reclined on his bed – large and extravagant, fit for a family of five rather than just one person. He raised his head at her entrance, and he nodded. She offered a pretty little smile, as Taihen had instructed, and shuffled into the room timidly, until she reached the center. And she bowed then, with ostrich-swan-like grace, and straightened up.

"Fire Lord Ozai," she murmured in that perfected demure tone, "You called for me?"

He sat up on the bed, donned in nothing but his royal robes of scarlet and gold, and nodded, giving her permission to venture towards him. She did so, and his eyes, golden and vigilant, took in her appearance, like a predatory eyeing his prey. Suki lowered her eyes, as a sign of submission and humbleness, and stood before him, offering the tray. The Fire Lord let his gaze sweep up her form, up the curves the obi created, up to her face, make-up-ed to perfection once more, all the way up to her hair, pinned and taut and sleek.

"You may set this down," he said in a voice as smooth and cool as a polished stone.

She did so, on the table by his bed, and straightened up, flattening out the wrinkles of her kimono.

"No need for that, my dear," Ozai assured as he stood with royal elegance, his movements fluid, like water. He was much taller than her, a head and a half, just about, and he looked down into her doll-like face. His hair was long, and it was down, a stream of black water, over his shoulders. His robes were opened, and he wore nothing beneath them save for shorts, exposing the muscles of his chest, his toned physique, and Suki instantly missed Sokka's much scrawnier build, wondering if Ozai might crush her on accident.

She steadied her breathing as he lifted a hand to her chin, his fingers gentle but oh-so cold, and she cringed at the contact, but he dismissed it as anxiety. A slow smile spread across his lips. "Nervous?" He said in that sleek voice, "No need to be. I will take care of you…"

_Like you took care of Ursa?_ Her mind whispered.

His hand caught her cheek then, and he stepped towards her, lowering his lips to touch her hair, brushed and smoothed to silk perfection. "I won't hurt you," he whispered into the mahogany tendrils, through her silken curls, breath chilling as it hit her scalp. His hands reached to the her back, fingers moving through the obi's knot, and Suki could feel each and every motion of his fingers on the fabric as if they touched her bare skin and it was so sensual and oddly alluring and maybe there was something in this room that was making her dizzy because she couldn't seem to keep her own head.

The Fire Lord smirked, removing her obi. "Relaxed?" He murmured intimately, and she nodded. A low chuckle left his lips. "The incense burning, it releases a meditative aroma that calms the body…" and his hands moved to the collar of her kimono, but not before trailing up her arms, leaving goose bumps in their wake. "It stimulates the senses," he explained lethargically, "the sense of smell," and he buried his nose into her hair, "sound," and his lips trailed down to the caves of her ear, "and touch…"

The pads of his fingers found the skin of her neck and let out a gasp of surprise at the coolness of his hands as he slowly removed her kimono, inching the sleeves from her shoulders in such a slow and seductive manner that Suki nearly lost herself.

"Fire Lord!"

She snapped her attention to the guard at the door, alarmed and frightened and she immediately regained her wits, blinking out of the lull of comfort and solace the incense (surely it was trickery, some sort of drug…?)

Ozai glared at the man who interrupted. "_What is it?_" He snarled.

"The tea!" The guard exclaimed, "Someone's poisoned the tea!"

Suki's eyes jumped immediately to the other guard who was manning the door, the one who had helped her. He was on the floor, dead. The Kyoshi Warrior's eyes flashed, and she reached for the dagger tucked at her thigh, feeling the blade press against her flesh.

"What? How do you know?" The Fire Lord demanded.

"Tea was spilled on him," and he pointed to his comrade, "He licked it off and then he fell."

Ozai turned to the tea, then to Suki. His arms grabbed hold of her shoulders and she was prepared to break away, but instead he gave her a harsh and demanding kiss, fierce and possessive, _fiery_,before pulling back – "Tomorrow," – and storming out, yelling for the kitchen to be closed for interrogations.

Suki was left in there, stunned, her breath caught in her throat, and she looked at the guard who was looking at her with curious suspicion and before he could call after for Ozai, she drew her dagger and took him down.

* * *

"She's _what?_" An incredulous Zuko asked. Katara didn't need to see his face to know he was thoroughly disgusted.

"With the Fire Lord," Katara repeated, quickly explaining Suki's situation.

The prince shook his head, removing his helmet at last, and she was right – absolute disgust. "A concubine to my _father_," he echoed, a disturbed scowl on his face. "It won't work, though," he said, looking at the girl seriously. "The Fire Lord's smarter than that."

"Not all Fire Nation are geniuses, you know," the girl said pointedly.

Zuko only waved a dismissive hand, "You don't know him like I do."

"Well we're not leaving without her."

"Fine, then we'll leave tomorrow…after…she…" He had to refrain from _gagging_.

Katara shivered at the mental images, "Zuko—"

"_TREASON! TREASON IN THE HOUSE OF THE FIRE LORD!"_

The benders swiveled to the door and Katara took a step away from it. She locked eyes with Zuko, the same thought running through their minds – Suki was caught. Without a word, he grabbed her _arm_ (because he was in too much of a hurry to register where her hand was) and shut off the lights, before yanking her through the dark (and into various shelves) towards the back of the library where he conjured a flame and fumbled with the torches along the wall.

Footsteps reverberated around again and she was grateful at least that this time they were stuck in a _library_ instead of a closet—

(Zuko pulled down a torch and pushed Katara into a secret compartment, before stepping inside himself.

Katara found the walls barely grazed both of her shoulders, and she scowled at the prince in front of her.)

—Nevermind.

There was quite a commotion, they could hear the shuffling of feet, yelling, and then nothing. Zuko glanced back at a very much perturbed Katara, and was about to open the secret passage, when the sound of a door opening reached his ears. He froze, pressing his ear against the wall. Light seeped through the cracks beneath the secret passage door, and he stepped backwards into Katara who gasped at the move. His hand flew backwards to cover her mouth, and he watched the light, waiting for shadows. And there, someone just passed the passage way. The shadow was consistent, pacing back and forth before the door, as if trying to find a way to open it, and Zuko moved as far back as he could, holding his breath, forcing Katara to crouch down behind him so that they could get as far back as they could.

The shadow disappeared, and he waited another minute before relaxing.

It was silent, but the light was still on.

Zuko reached a hand back, palm open.

The waterbender took it and made a move to stand up.

"What are you doing?" The prince asked quietly.

"What do you mean? Aren't you helping me up?"

Zuko opened his mouth, and then shut it. "Yeah. Sure."

Katara instantly dropped his hand, helping herself up. "Well, fine – but what else was I supposed to think? I was on the ground and you offered your hand. I can't read minds you know," she retorted moodily.

"I was going to ask you for a mirror."

"A _mirror_?" She scoffed, "At a time like _this_? Zuko, sorry to break it to you, but I highly doubt you're _charm and good looks_ will get us out of this one."

The prince scowled, "Just come here," and his hands moved down her form and she refrained from yelping in surprise. He reached her hair and took a pin out, a dangling circular pendant hanging off the tip. And he stuck it below the crack of the door, trying to see if anyone was outside. The coast was clear.

Katara crept up from behind him, obviously cross and slightly red. "I could have gotten that _for_ you, you know," she hissed, but he waved it off.

"C'mon, let's go," he whispered, opening the passage and stepping out.

Only to see Mai leaning against the wall, arms crossed and looking quite bored.

"You know, for having snuck into the palace, I'm surprised you're so horrible at shutting up."

Zuko and Katara don't know what to say.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Mai said, a little impatient, "Go, already. You, get back to the concubines. You – back to your quarters. Hurry."

They did so.

"How did she know we were there?" Katara asked of Zuko as they rushed down the halls.

Zuko scowled, faintly, thoughtfully, recalling his frequent trips to the library with the girl, and a soft blush crept up the back of his neck. He fit the helmet over his head before Katara could see it stain his cheeks.

"I don't know."

* * *

Jing-Wei awoke that night, in a cold-sweat, and she held a hand over her beating heart, trying to still the rapid pace. She had a nightmare, and all she could remember was the _fear_ clutching at her. The girl took gasping breaths, waiting for Mazo to comfort her (as he always did, and she always pushed him away). When he didn't, she glanced over at his sleeping roll, only to realize that it was empty.

The earthbender frowned, moving over to him, past Aang, past Bumi, past the dead fire, and found a note, written in blood, where his pillow ought to be.

Jing-Wei gasped, stumbling back, and slipped in a shallow puddle. Something soft touched her arm and she looked down, peeling a white slip of paper from the waters.

"Jing-Wei?" A tired Aang yawned, sitting up in his bed roll, "What are you doing?"

He bent fire onto their dead blaze and Jing-Wei found a trail of white papers leading down the sewage system.

'_Two down. Three to go.'_

* * *

By the time Katara returned to the concubine chambers, Suki was already in there, in a frenzied fit. "I could have _had_ him!" The girl bristled, cursing under her breath as the others were gathered around, listening intently, "If I hadn't spilled that tea then—_ugh!_" She was throwing aside the things adorning her hair, pacing back and forth so quickly that her kimono, opened to reveal undergarments, was catching a breeze. "Tomorrow he'll have the tea _checked!_" Suki went on angrily, "That was our _chance_. We _had_ him!"

"It's alright," Taihen soothed, "We have been patient, we can wait a little longer." But even she appeared to be retraining her own rage.

Katara locked the door behind her and blinked at a struggling Red, bound and gagged, tied to a chair. She arched a brow at him, at his face adorned in make-up, and he was obviously pleading for her help, but she rolled her eyes, forgetting him at once.

"Suki, we need to talk."

And she grabbed her friend, dragging her away.

They returned to Suki's private chambers.

"I _had_ him, Katara," the Kyoshi Warrior explained, "I _had_ him and I—"

"Suki, we're breaking out tomorrow."

"What?"

"Tomorrow. We're breaking out."

Suki blinked, bewildered. "I…I can't. I have to do this for them," she protested, "I've been here for months for this night, I can't just leave them after we've come so close."

"Suki! Zuko and I need to get out of here as soon as possible, we can't wait around—"

"I've been waiting around for _months_, and those girls for _year_," the girl countered sagely, crossing her arms. "You and his highness can't wait for two days?"

"Suki," Katara tried, but she wouldn't hear it.

The Kyoshi Warrior shook her head determinedly. "I'm not leaving the girls," Suki declared. "They need me. You and Zuko can run off if you want," she added hesitantly, "But I need to stay here and help them. I might not be the prophesized warrior, but I'm all they've got. We've been planning for this, waiting for this, and if I just abandoned them, then what? They'd lose hope, they'd be stuck. Do you understand why I can't leave?"

The waterbender studied her friend for moment, and nodded,

"You can't turn your back on people who need you."

"As much as I want to go with you…" Suki amended, face softening. "I have a job here."

Katara nodded her understanding. "I know."

They opened the door and Taihen straightened up, looking at Suki with widened eyes. Before she could say anything, the concubine threw herself at her idol, at her hope. "Go," she demanded quietly, "Go with them."

"What? Taihen—" Suki countered, but the girl refused to listen.

"We cannot risk their escape. They must get back to the Avatar," Taihen reasoned. "And besides, you have fulfilled the prediction." A weak and lopsided, but appreciative smile, "you've given us the answers of how to deal with this. You've taught us to fight, to fend for ourselves. You've not only taught us the importance of dignity, but restored it as well – Kyo…you have done more than any prophesized warrior could." She stepped away then, bowing low, "We can handle ourselves from here."

And it was the second time that night when Suki cried.

-  
-

After Zuko returned Katara to her chambers, he explored the prisoners' floor, doing 'rounds' for the sole reason of checking the chute, the exits, and he passed by a cell with a familiar-looking boy. He was dangerously thin, but his eyes, his nose, his face structure looked so familiar, and he saw Zuko looking and frowned, drawing his chin up in stubborn defiance. The prince met the glare head on, his own golden eyes unchallenging, and then he turned away impassively.

"Stop it, Sensu!" Someone else ordered, "You'll get another beating, jeering at them guards!"

Zuko stopped in his tracks and turned over his shoulder at the boy in the cell, older than him, perhaps by a year or so. "What's your name?" He asked, scowling faintly.

The boy's glare returned. "Sensu."

The prince blinked, and nodded, before silently continuing on his way.

It seemed another prisoner would be added to his and Katara's _Escape_ list.

* * *

Jing-Wei followed the paper trails, obviously a trap, but she didn't care, wouldn't listen, because as much as she maintained that she hated Mazo, she really didn't hate him at all. Her steps were loud as they splashed along the pipe lines, Aang close behind her, Bumi following after him, holding his tongue about the _neutral jing_ because the fellow earthbender would clearly not listen, and she understood the principles of earthbending well enough for him to trust her judgement.

They were led into a central system, where multiple sewers merged, and Jing-Wei rushed in. "Mazo—!" The lights flicked on (torches, rather, set up beneath the ground) and Mazo looked up from his position on the ground, bound and gagged but seemingly unharmed. Jing-Wei let out a breath of relief, rushing to his side to free him from his bindings. "Are you alright?"

And three Dai Li leapt down from the ceiling for a second time, surrounding her, the Avatar, and the dethroned king.

Aang took a step back, preparing to fight.

Jing-Wei gasped, standing at once, eyes widened at the sight of the agents.

"We're not partial to surprise attacks," Bumi said with a frown, "You really should have thought to warn us first. But no matter," and he stomped a foot into the ground, blasting up two earth pillars.

His opponent stopped the pillar, standing at the top, and did quick, fluid motions atop the lifted mass, shooting discs of earth towards the king.

Aang was engaged in his own battle against an agent, raising earth to block the attacks, utilizing waterbending seeing as he had a plentiful source for that.

And Jing-Wei turned to the last Dai Li, her eyes fierce as she made the earth rumble. "How _dare_ you kidnap my friends!" She exclaimed in fury, making a move to assault, when she heard Mazo shuffling behind her, freeing himself from the ropes she only managed to loosen. "Mazo—"

But a blade was pointed at her nose and she froze.

"Everyone, stop fighting," he demanded harshly.

Aang and Bumi did at once, the Dai Li followed suit. Jing-Wei's eyes widened in shock as she eyed her friend, her companion, her (dare-she-think-it) _crush_. He was grinning, smugly, at that, the straw perched between his lips tilting as he moved his mouth.

"Well didn't this work out just perfectly?" He bragged, dark eyes surveying the three. "One Dai Li to take home a prisoner of the Avatar's posse…and then the Avatar himself. I'll definitely get a bonus for that," he mused idly.

"Mazo, what are you doing?" The earthbender girl asked quietly, her voice trembling as she stared at the tip of the blade, the reflection showing his eyes, dark and smoldering and so _different_.

"What am I doing?" He echoed mockingly, "Why, I'm doing what you always expected I'd do." The firebender grinned, leaning forward, "Guess what?" He murmured into her ear, "You were right." And she let out a growl of frustration, lifting earth from the ground and forming it, just as Aang and Bumi took on their offensive stances.

But he grabbed her, placing a blade at the edge of her throat, and Jing-Wei let out a strangled cry, "Aang!"

The Avatar hesitated, surveying their enemy with hardened eyes. "Let her go!" He demanded.

"Stay back! Or I'll kill her!"

Aang took a step forward.

"Don't try me, Avatar!"

The two benders, friends brought together once more, stood around the pair, watching with careful eyes, debating whether or not to attack. Mazo stood there in the center, with the three Dai Li agents on either side of him, Jing-Wei in his arms, a dagger at her neck, looking quite pleased with himself.

The girl grasped at the strong hand about her neck, wanting to bend her way out of it, but knowing she couldn't. Even if her life was at stake. Because she trusted him, trusted him with her life, trusted his words, his compliments, his passes. She had let him get to her, under her skin. She came to accept him as Fire Nation, maybe even _loved_ him. Tears swam in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks, and she shook her head, pleading with her captor. "Please, please, don't do this!"

But he only scoffed, pressing the blade against her flesh so that a thin line of red marred her pale complexion. "Why are you so surprised?" He taunted coldly, "This is what you've expected me to do all along, isn't it?" He let out a barking laugh, "You, of all people, should have seen this coming."

"Why?" She whispered coarsely, "Why?"

"Why?" Mazo repeated, "_Why? _Because the Fire Nation is the best, because Fire Lord Ozai deserves to rule, and because I have been promised greatness in the new world order—!"

And out of nowhere an arrow flew by, stabbing him in the side.

The firebender stumbled back and Jing-Wei felt the edge of his blade scratch her skin. She winced, holding a hand to her neck where a thin line of blood warmed her palm. Aang conjured a strong gust blow the quartet back against a wall and Bumi bent the earth to keep them still, arms and legs locked at their sides.

Out of the shadows a figure leapt and straightened up, and Aang's eyes brightened at the familiar face,

"Longshot!"

* * *

**Remember Sensu ? :D (from the actual show, not this fic)**

**& for those wondering, Suki killed the guard and took his body back.**

**Yeah.**

**Oh, and the notes (the white papers) read** _'Two down, Three to go.'_  
**And they were written by Mazo in 'blood' to leave a trail for them all to follow.**


	14. The Great Escape

**YES AN UPDATE!** I know I said I'd rewrite this story, but I had sudden inspiration (sort of) to continue where I left off. This is where the story takes an unsuspected turn seeing as Sokka, Katara and Zuko are no longer in the Fire Nation - I have no idea where to have them go from here, any suggestions? I know this chapter is shorter than the ones previous, but I still can't bring myself about to write for this like I used to. Still, an update was a great success and I hadn't planned on writing out this chapter! So I'm very glad to have been able to get it out to you C: Thanks so much to everyone who's stayed with me throughout this fic, I really appreciate your support and encouraging words, this is for you, because you're all so fantastic.

**PS:** I'm still attempting to keep as true to canon as possible - not the events, rather the characters, and because of that, you'll have to stomach a bit of MaiKo. Sort of? Well not really, but I figure, if all they had between their goodbye was a parting letter from Zuko, there must be some unfinished business between them and confusion. Please keep that in mind!

* * *

**A C Q U I E S C E N C E **

**

* * *

**

_The firebender stumbled back and Jing-Wei felt the edge of his blade scratch her skin. She winced, holding a hand to her neck where a thin line of blood warmed her palm. Aang conjured a strong gust blow the quartet back against a wall and Bumi bent the earth to keep them still, arms and legs locked at their sides._

_Out of the shadows a figure leapt and straightened up, and Aang's eyes brightened at the familiar face,_

_"Longshot!"_

**

* * *

**

_**Chapter XIV **_

**The Great Escape

* * *

**

**I**t's not what you think." Her voice was hollow, quiet, breath barely moving the flame from the candle in her hand. She stared past him as she spoke, as she walked down the corridor under the premise of checking on the prisoners. Her eyes seemed to look into the distance, gaze focused somewhere, anywhere, other than _him_. "I'm not betraying you."

Zuko scoffed behind his mask, walking beside her, or as beside her as anyone could walk – they seemed to be conducting a routine inspection rather than engaging in a clandestine meeting. "So Ty Lee just made that up earlier, about you telling her the Avatar would be coming," he replied sarcastically, "How much of a fool do you take me for?"

Their footsteps echoed together, along the eerily silent chambers. Torches glimmered dimly on the walls, casting ominous shadows into every underground crevice. Somewhere, a faucet was left running and a pipe was leaking droplets of water. There was an intensity hanging in the air between them, a fiery hate that was almost tangible.

"You don't understand," the young woman replied.

"I _understand_ that you're still in league with Azula," Zuko snapped.

Mai stopped in her tracks and fixed him with a most furious glare. There was something in her expression that spoke of emotions neither of them could even begin to comprehend. Emotions that swallowed her very being, and perhaps Zuko's as well, had he enough time to receive the impact. She blinked and suddenly those emotions, those fears and hurts and desires and anger, were gone. "I'm _not_," she answered simply, watching the candle flicker in her hand. "Besides, the Avatar never came, did he? That was never part of the plan. He was never coming here," Mai whispered, lips barely forming the words. "If I was helping her, don't you think it would be over for you and Katara right now?"

She continued walking down the hall then, turning and twisting at various corners.

Zuko blinked after her. It was a strange sound, the name of Katara on Mai's tongue. Had he imagined that bit of spite? Was his mind playing tricks, or did Mai sound almost bitter? He shook his head, dismissing those insignificant thoughts. "How can you expect me to trust you?"

Mai paused mid-stride and glanced back at him over her shoulder. "Never have I done anything to hurt you before. Why would I start now?"

Silence.

And she kept walking away; away from him and his utter shock at her response.

Zuko frowned, expression unseen beneath his fire guard helmet. What did she mean by _that_? Well, of course a part of him knew precisely what she meant and he ignored the surprisingly sharp pang of guilt that kept him glued to the spot. It wasn't until the young woman had turned a far away corner and he lost sight of her retreating back did Zuko finally move, following after her in a strange and awkward and guilt-ridden stillness.

"Where are we going?" He said at last, after a stretch of time had gone by – or perhaps it was only a few seconds, minutes. Either way, it felt as though an eternity had passed.

"You think you can't trust me, so why bother telling you?" Mai quipped.

Zuko scowled at her cheek.

"Come on, we're almost there."

A part of him wanted to do the childish and immature thing, that being _not_ following her. But the other side of him knew that doing so would only worsen his situation and would be stupid (not to mention, Katara would likely smack him upside the head if she was there). And so he followed after the infuriating woman he didn't want to trust, but he was in a dangerous situation and he was at a shortage of options. Zuko counted his breathing as he focused on where they were going, willing himself not to get lost in the loops and turns – she could easily be leading him into a—

"Here," Mai said, breaking into his thoughts. They stopped before a large metal door with a strange circular design in the center, and smaller circles at every corner of the barricade. It appeared as though something was to be placed in the middle of the wheel shaped indentation. Mai withdrew a rusted key from her sleeves. She was silent as she fit the key into the lock, and then her eyes flicked to the prince. "You'll need to firebend," she said simply. "See that slot?" - Zuko nodded in response – "Firebend right there."

The prince took in a deep and steadying breath and recalled his encounter with the Firebending Masters. A steady blast left his hands with a simple motion of his arms and the flames filled the central design, before traveling up hidden pipes throughout the door. The fire traveled through the pipes and escaped through the four smaller holes at the four corners. He ducked to avoid the flames.

There was a loud click and Mai pushed open the door, gesturing for him to enter.

Zuko took one look inside to see a smirking Toph chained to the wall.

"Finally, I thought you'd never find me."

* * *

The dawn breeze would have been soothing as it sifted through his clothes, but the circumstances were so dire that Aang could not find even the smallest comfort in his own element. Questions buzzed in his mind. Questions of loyalty and trust. Questions of Katara and Sokka and Zuko, and of Toph and Iroh. With the latest betrayal revealing itself, he just had no idea what to believe anymore – who could he trust? Who was really trying to help him, and who was working against him? Could he believe any of the things anyone told him? What about the letters?

The Avatar sighed, closing his tired eyes and trying desperately to clear his mind. He couldn't think straight, let alone make decisions that would affect the entire group, or what was left of it. Aang glanced over his shoulder, back at Jing-Wei who had fallen asleep crying, to Bumi, snoozing comfortably in Appa's fur, and Longshot, sitting furthest back on the flying bison, hat tilted over his face. He was more than ecstatic to be reunited with a familiar face, but to lose someone he had put trust in, that hurt more than he might have guessed.

He came to the conclusion that Bumi was right – he had to wait for the opportune moment to act. What if they had gone into the Fire Nation? It was, more likely than not, simply bait to lure them all there. If his friends were in danger, surely he would come to their rescue, anyone with eyes could see his attachment to them – and to Katara. But what if they really were in trouble? Then what?

Aang's grip tightened on the reigns and he exhaled particularly loud, loud enough to catch a certain archer's attention.

Without a word, Longshot stood from his spot and made his way across the bison's back, bracing himself against the wind, and sat down by the confused and lonely airbender.

"I'm really glad you're back," Aang said quietly, staring out into the horizon. "You have no idea how good it is to see a familiar face."

It seemed all the people around him were disappearing.

Longshot said nothing, only giving the monk a seemingly blank stare.

Aang nodded, offering a smile. "It is," he said, in reply to something unsaid but entirely understood.

_It's encouraging to find a friend, when you think you're all alone._

* * *

"How are we going to do this?"

"I don't know yet."

"Well you'd better think fast because it's nearing daybreak."

Zuko glowered at the waterbender. "Yes, thank you for the update," he answered staunchly, pacing the length of the empty chambers. They were running out of time and they had to escape, staying any longer would risk being found – it didn't seem as though the alert on the palace would be lifted and only time would tell before Azula came to realize that to avoid detection she had people working from the inside. In fact, he was surprised that she hadn't already called all the guards and reviewed them for treachery. He wasn't, however, at all shocked to hear about his father's decision to hire a new group of chefs to replace the others who had 'resigned.'

"I'm sorry I just…I don't like being here," Katara whispered unsteadily, eyes watching the large metal door separating them from the halls, from the rest of the palace. It had been a long night, and everything was starting to feel like a dream gone terribly, terribly wrong. She was at her wits' end, and Katara would have given anything to have her brother with them – he might be irritating and obnoxious, but when it came down to it, his plans were more often than not successful.

The prince sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "I know, I know…and we'll get out of here, don't worry," Zuko assured her, peering at the young woman in blue silks. He had never seen her so…fragile, so afraid. What had gotten into her? "Katara."

Azure eyes met his gaze.

"We're going to get out of here, do you hear me?"

There was such conviction in his eyes, in his voice, that all Katara could do was nod.

"Good," Zuko said, resuming his restless pacing. "What we need, is some sort of diversion," he thought aloud. "We can use one of the airships to get away from here, but whether or not we can maneuver it through blasts of fire is another story."

The waterbender shifted in her seat on the ground, stretching her cramping leg out beside her. "How would we even get a hold of an airship? It's kind of noticeable, don't you think?" She asked. "And besides, don't you have an entire fleet of airships? What would stop anyone from chasing after us if we did manage to get away?"

Her counterpart frowned in thought. "We could disable them all, except for one," Zuko suggested. "I think Toph can come into play there…but that still leaves the possibility of being shot down…" How could they get away without being captured? They couldn't sneak out, not after the alarm was raised. Every entrance and exit would be watched…

"What if we destroyed the canons, too?"

Zuko scoffed. "Do you realize how much destruction that would be?"

"Well, you're thinking of destroying an entire fleet of airships—"

"_Disabling_," the prince corrected.

"—whatever," Katara said impatiently. "Why not take out the canons, too?"

The firebender thought it over, knowing that it was unreasonable and had a high risk of failure, but it was also the only certain way that they couldn't be followed or captured – assuming of course, that everything went according to plan. _But how often do things ever really go according to plan?_ His treacherous mind whispered. Zuko shook his head free of those doubts; there was no room for doubt in a time of crisis. It would work out. It had to. "If this doesn't work…" he began, but his companion shook her head.

"What've we got to lose? We're already in the worst position possible," Katara pointed out, standing from the floor and stretching her arms over her head. "Things can either get worse or get extremely better. If we stay here, they are one-hundred percent sure to get worse. If we try to leave, we have a chance of escaping. The odds are stacked against us, Zuko," she said, letting her arms drop to her sides. "We have to take this chance."

And he found that her assuring smile was enough to lift his doubts.

"We'll need to figure out where to meet and, and what signals we'll use," Katara continued, suddenly feeling rather self conscious under her counterpart's golden stare. There was something about the way he was watching her then that made her nerves jump. It might have been the underlying fear or the uncertainty of their situation, but whatever it was, she didn't quite like it. "And we'll probably have to talk to Suki and Toph."

"And there's one more prisoner I'd like to break free," Zuko added.

"You told me we could only do what we came here for."

"But we already failed in doing that," the prince argued, waving an arm through the air in frustration. "We've failed in finding Azula's secret weapon against the Avatar, we've haven't even figured out what it does. Infiltrating the palace, putting our lives in danger, it was all for nothing."

Katara frowned. "How could you say that?" She began quietly, surveying the firebender through soft eyes. "It wasn't for nothing. We've found Toph and Suki. It was well worth the danger."

Zuko only turned away, glaring at the large metal door and hating himself for always, _always_ failing.

A hand touched his shoulder then, comforting and understanding and familiar.

"You've only failed when you've given up, Zuko."

He smiled, though she couldn't see it, and he was surprised to find that he missed her warm touch when it left his shoulder.

"Now come on, we should go – I'll tell Suki what's going on."

Zuko nodded, knowing she was right, and fit his helmet over his head once more. Moving towards the door, he reached to open it, only to find a guard standing in the doorway. Both males appeared rather stunned, but Zuko was the first to speak. "What are you doing in this sector?"

"I heard voices when passing by. I thought it was the intruders," he explained. "My mistake. What are you doing in here any—" his gaze fell upon the young woman in the room, standing back and peering around Zuko's form. The fire guard let out a low chuckle. "Oh, _I_ see, well you should have her back to the room soon. You know how that old lady gets when the concubines are out too late – they need their beauty rest. You picked yourself a pretty one there, new, I think. Some welcome you're giving her, eh?"

And the stranger went on his merry way down the hall.

Zuko and Katara walked in awkward silence the entire way to the concubine chambers.

-  
-

"Is everyone in place?" Zuko asked.

"Yes," Mai replied simply as she passed him down the stairs.

Their exchange was quick and unnoticed, not even lasting a breath as they breezed by in feigned unawareness of the other's presence. However, Zuko couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt as they passed, at the curtness of her words, at the lack of emotion, or concern – given, Mai was never one to express such things, but he couldn't help but think that he deserved it.

"_I know you don't trust me, but I've never given you a right not to. You just assumed and why? Because I happen to be following Azula's orders? Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, I was only friends with Azula in the first place because of our families? Did it ever occur to you that maybe I'm not some mindless puppet who does someone else's bidding? That maybe I do have a mind of my own and make my own decisions? Did you forget I had become a part of the White Lotus years ago?"_

_Zuko glared at the pale woman he might have loved, unsure of how to take her attack. "You haven't given me reason to think otherwise. You've been doing her work ever since I can remember."_

"_And she's always trumped over you in anything either of you attempt – but I don't go assuming you'll lose to her forever," Mai snapped, crossing her arms over her chest._

"_How can I trust you, when you're one of her right hand—"_

"_How can you not trust me?" The young woman retorted, looking at him through hurt eyes that said what she restrained herself from saying: Has my love meant nothing?_

The prince dismissed the conversation and focused on the task at hand. It was bright and early, just the crack of dawn, and he had a plan to initiate. It was not the time to worry about women and their frustrating and confusing minds. He ventured down into the prison cells, walking by with purpose, a set of keys hanging from his belt, and then he stopped before a door, staring at the young boy inside.

"What?" The prisoner spat, though his voice was dry, wanting water.

"You're going to be set free," Zuko said quietly. "I'm returning you to your brother. I'm returning you to the Earth Kingdom."

"What?" Sensu repeated, confused and highly suspicious. "What are you talking about? What have you done with Lee? You leave him alone!"

"Hush," Zuko said sharply. "I am one of the intruders," he revealed, "I am planning an escape, and I want to spring you free. Your family misses you. And I'm sure you miss them, too."

Sensu's eyes narrowed at the guard, the man who couldn't be telling the truth, but how could he possibly know about his younger brother? Standing from the wall, the captive stepped forward, apprehensive but much more _alive_ than he had seemed a second before. Perhaps it was the sudden hope of freedom, the prospect that imprisonment wasn't the only path ahead. "When are you escaping?"

An explosion rattled the walls.

Zuko fit the key into the lock and let the door swing open, "Right now."

And he took off into a run down the hall, doing his best to ignore the protests and pleas of other prisoners. _I'm sorry_, he thought silently, passing them by without so much as a glance, _I can't save you all._

Zuko swerved through the corridors and down a flight of stairs, Sensu in tow. He had not run into any guards, but he had a feeling such luck would soon run out. They headed straight for stair well leading to the airship fleet, ignoring the boom of large bongs, the yells, the chaos, knowing that everyone was being evacuated into the courtyard. If everything had gone according to plan, a string of flares planted in the eastern wing of the palace were detonated. He only hoped Suki had done well to avoid the blasts.

He hurried up the steps, running into the narrow stone walls on his way up the spiraling stairs, Sensu stumbling to keep up, and the duo emerged into the warring chambers, sprinting forward and into a large covered area where lines of airships were stored. Toph was already there, massaging her wrists and glad to be free of the cuffs.

"Good t'see you again, Sparky," she greeted. "I think I did pretty good, don't you?"

Zuko had to grin. She sunk all the airships, save for one, enough into the earth so that they couldn't budge. "Exceptionally," the prince replied as he bounded for the only available vessel. "Where's Katara?" He asked as the three boarded the airship.

"Haven't seen Sugarqueen yet, but I'm sure she'll show up soon."

Zuko felt his stomach drop.

"What're you waiting for? Fire up this thing and let's get the hell out of here!" Sensu exclaimed frantically.

"No, not yet," was the prince's sharp reply. He did, however, get everything set to go. The sails were hoisted, the engine running, all that was missing was—

"Zuko!"

He spun around to see the waterbender rushing into the hangar with a person he could only presume was Suki close behind. Zuko couldn't explain his relief in seeing her face, knowing that she wasn't caught in the act of freezing the ammunition. The pair climbed onto the airship, out of breath and flushed, but seemingly unharmed. "Everything clear?" he asked, though regardless of the answer, they would be taking off.

"Yes," Katara answered breathlessly, "They'll be able to melt the ice, but it will at least buy us time to get out of range." Her eyes lifted to the metal awning above them. "What about _that_?" She asked warily, but Toph had already clapped her hands together.

"You let me worry about that, let's just _go_ already, I can hear people heading this way!"

Zuko complied and the airship lifted with a lurch, sending the occupants stumbling, and then it rose steadily higher as he worked to keep the engines fueled. "Come on," he urged, "Faster, move _faster_." The metal cover was nearing and Toph took her stance, stubborn and immovable. Her arms lifted overhead and she stepped to the side, spinning with surprising grace, arms following the motion down, before throwing her fists up into the sky. The metal broke right above them, letting a sliver the daybreak sun shine through, and she smirked, breaking her hands apart. The metal followed her motion, opening for them, and the fresh air met the passengers' anxious faces.

They had made it completely out of the storage before impact from a boulder shook the airship.

"What was that?" Suki called over the commotion.

Katara peered over the edge and ducked, narrowly missing a boulder aimed at them. "It looks like the Dai Li!" She yelled to Zuko. "We never took into account that they're working for Azula!"

Another blow shook their craft and Sensu went sprawling across the floorboards.

"Fire back at them!" The prince ordered, gesturing to the canons on board.

Suki immediately took to manning a canon and aimed right at the Dai Li. They scattered as the shot broke into the earth, but it wasn't enough to cease their attempts. A glance through the broken awning of the hangar showed furious and confused guards trying to chase after them, but to no avail.

It was Katara who spotted a flash of blue and shoved the firebender from its path. The wheel spun as he fell to the side, sending the airship to veer to the right. Zuko's eyes were wide as he stared at the waterbender who had just saved his life, but there was no time for _thank yous_ and _you're welcomes _and so they picked themselves up at once. He'd remember to thank her later – assuming they lived through this.

"They're bringing out the canons!" Suki shouted.

"We're out of their range!" Zuko declared, feeling suddenly elated at the news.

But his happiness was short-lived as the sight of a war balloon rose behind them, a furious Azula on board.

The color left Sensu's face as he ducked from view of the princess.

A flash of lightning broke through the sky, but met no victim.

It was only a matter of time before their airship crashed or ran out of fuel and what then? Azula's war balloon would catch up and everything will have been in vain. Zuko tried not to think about the inevitable outcome, but found his hands slipping from the wheel as sweat covered his palms. Why was it that Azula always won?

"Zuko, what do we do?" Katara asked, looking back at him.

And all he could think was _I'm sorry_.

Then the threat sunk.

Zuko watched as a canon blast went right through the balloon and, for the first time in his life, felt victory at his fingertips. "Nice shot, Suki!"

"That wasn't me!" The Kyoshi Warrior replied, looking back at the palace and seeing a group of guards surround a single young woman she recognized too well.

"Who was it then?" Zuko asked as he sailed the airship to safety.

"Her, I guess," Suki answered, pointing at the far-away figure. "Why would she do that? She was one of the people who captured me…"

"_I never once gave you any reason not to trust me," Mai declared, back to the prince, to her former lover, to the boy she grew up with and came to admire and adore and care for – more than her own baby sister, more than her friends. "You were the one who left me here. You were the one who ran away."_

"_I had no choice," Zuko answered, not making a move to stop her from walking out the door. "You didn't understand. You couldn't understand."_

_The young woman spared one more glance back at him, at the prince who affected her more than any of Azula's threats ever could. "You had a choice. Everyone always has a choice."_

Zuko shook his head as he set his sights on the horizon. "I don't know."

* * *

They knew that it would be too dangerous to return to Yu's, or to say goodbye to Daichi or to check up on Sokka and Smellerbee and the other children, but that didn't mean it wasn't difficult for them to leave the Fire Nation, knowing (for the most part) that they were leaving those people behind. Katara took it the hardest, thinking of her brother, of where he might be.

"What if he was captured?" She said suddenly, alarm in her eyes, "What if they were back at the palace but we didn't know? What if—?"

"If they were caught, I'm sure we would have heard about it. From Mai, or something," Zuko reasoned. "Besides, Sokka's smart. You have to give him credit – he knows how to get out of tricky situations."

Katara was not allayed, but nodded, moving to stand beside the firebender. They had been traveling for the better part of the day and the sun was coming to a set on the horizon. Suki and Sensu were attempting to make food in the kitchen and Toph had found a nice little place for her to settle into and hold on for dear life. The airship was large and empty and lonely. The feeling filled both benders up.

"I didn't realize we'd have to leave everyone," the waterbender said quietly, letting the fresh air tug at her tresses. "I hope they're not angry."

A smiling and bright little face instantly came to mind.

"He's better off without us," Zuko answered, thinking of Daichi, that innocent little boy who was simply drawn to the worst kind of people, it seemed. "We're trouble." He chanced a glimpse at his counterpart and grinned, "I mean, we infiltrated the Fire Nation, set prisoners free, blew up a third of the palace, stole an aircraft—"

"And it's not even dinner time," Katara finished with amusement in her weary eyes. And then her vision caught a dark blur lobbing at their pace. "What's that?"

He followed her gaze and took note of the hawk gliding with them, a message attached to its leg. "It's a messenger hawk! Grab the scroll," the prince said at once. "Who could have sent it?"

Katara let the bird land on the airship, untying the message.

A White Lotus Pai Sho tile fell from the folds:

_We have heard of your escape and sent this hawk to flight. _

_Its success is not guaranteed so this message will be vague and curt:_

_Head for where the blackest of swords was crafted._

"What does that mean?"

Katara grinned. "It means we set course for Master Piandao's."

"Swordsmaster Piandao?" The firebender repeated, recognizing the name as one of his uncle's comrades. "Alright, but we'll have to make a quick detour first."

-  
-

_Knock, knock._

The door opened and a frightened woman glared in greeting, instantly moving to shut the door. To her surprise, it didn't close, and her frantic eyes lowered to see the stranger's foot blocking the way. She gripped the handle, bracing herself for some sort of attack – surely someone of _his_ background would wield his firebending. He had done it before, and she was more than certain he would do it again. "What do _you_ want?" She demanded, fear clearly in her voice, but a mother's conviction in her eyes.

Zuko neither removed his foot nor made a motion to enter the home he was clearly no longer welcome in. "I came to return something you lost," he said, voice low, apologetic. "You must remember me—"

"You came and destroyed our village!" The woman accused.

_Saved your son from the earthbending soldiers_, but Zuko set the fact aside. "I came to fix a broken family," the prince explained. "Does this man—" and he gestured behind him, to a fragile-looking Sensu, "—look familiar?"

The woman's eyes widened at the sight of him, the young boy whose face betrayed nothing but hardship and sorrow, and gasped, hand lifting to her mouth. "S-Sensu…" she murmured into her palm, lips barely moving in forming the syllables of his name. It was as though time stood still for just that fleeting moment, and then the tears came rushing down her face. "Sensu! _Sensu!_"

And Zuko stepped back as she ran forward, taking her son into her arms.

"Lee! Call your father! Sensu's home!"

The firebender watched quietly as that young boy he remembered so well dashed out of the house, his face bright and disbelieving. He hadn't changed, clearly just as exuberant as before as he leapt up to his brother and wasted no time badgering his brother with questions. And older man Zuko recognized as the father emerged from the home, hesitating at the threshold at the sight of Zuko. Static tension rose between them but Zuko stood his ground, bowing his head in a slight nod of greeting. The older man's eyes softened as he shifted his gaze to his family.

"You have saved both our sons," he said sincerely. "And for that, we are grateful."

And he joined the people he loved in an embrace as they rejoiced in their son's return.

Zuko didn't stay after that, opting to keep his distance – it seemed those he became close to were always harmed in some way, and besides, they had made it quite clear that his presence was not welcome.

"Wait!" a voice called after him. He hesitated and turned to see Lee bounding after him. And it all happened so fast, the young boy raced towards him and clung to his waist, offering up a large smile. "Thank you, thank you! I knew you would like my brother!"

Zuko nodded, returning his smile as best he could. "You're welcome."

-  
-

"So what was all that about?" Katara asked as the firebender returned to the airship.

Zuko shrugged, "I promised someone I'd bring his brother back."

She couldn't help but watch as the prince took to readying the airship for sail once more, setting course for Master Piandao's. She smiled to herself at the thought of Zuko, the fire brat, the man she's hated for the better part of the year, struggled with knotting a rope. Moving forwards, the waterbender offered a hand. "Need help?"

He was about to say that _no_, he did _not_ need help and was fully capable of setting the sails himself, but one look at the way her eyes shone in the dying sun, the way there was the faintest hint of a smile on her lips, the way the wind played with her hair, the retort was swallowed and Zuko nodded. "Sure."

And Suki and Toph and Katara and Zuko sailed into the setting horizon, with no assurance of what was to come, knowing only that they were not alone.

* * *

** FAR from my best work I think, but still, I'm surprised I managed to get out a chapter!  
It feels rushed, though, and curt, but there's a disconnect between me and the plot  
a new one will have to flesh itself out now,  
but I guess their escape from the fire nation came the perfect time  
because now I can form a new plan for the GaAng.**

**Hopefully I'll have inspiration to get another chapter out soon!  
if not, you can expect something for **_Sokka's Field Guide II_ **!**

_**Thanks so much for reading!**_


	15. From This Point On

**THANKS **to everyone who has reviewed and supported me through this fic and the struggling to continue it, your feedback and encouragement is sincerely appreciated! This chapter isn't nearly as long as the others, but I hope it's good enough for the time being! I'm in a bit of a rush, so I'll keep this short - please let me know what you think!

* * *

**A C Q U I E S C E N C E

* * *

**

_Moving forwards, the waterbender offered a hand. "Need help?"_

_He was about to say that no, he did not need help and was fully capable of setting the sails himself, but one look at the way her eyes shone in the dying sun, the way there was the faintest hint of a smile on her lips, the way the wind played with her hair, the retort was swallowed and Zuko nodded. "Sure."_

_And Suki and Toph and Katara and Zuko sailed into the setting horizon, with no assurance of what was to come, knowing only that they were not alone._

* * *

_**Chapter XV **_

**From This Point On

* * *

**

**L**ongshot, what happened to you? Where've you been all this time?" Smellerbee pressed of her very best friend. It was just the two of them now, away from the group who had previously met around the dining table. Many questions were asked, less actually answered, but the archer had remained silent throughout the reunion, despite the various queries directed towards him. Of course, his lack of words hadn't fazed anyone – save for Zuko and Iroh and Piandao and Toph, but they had never met him. For people who had encountered the silent archer, they expected nothing but a seemingly blank stare in response. But Smellerbee had known him for much longer than the others. Smellerbee could read his silence, the minute changes in his expression, better than even Jet had managed.

Alone at last, out on a balcony somewhere on the second floor, the two comrades could speak freely, or as much as one with such a few words could speak. Longshot only gazed out over the garden, where his keen eye made out a shape sitting idly on a boulder. A sigh escaped is lips then, melting into the soft breeze as if stolen by the wind, coercing him to speak. "I thought," he began, voice slightly hoarse and very low, "you were done for."

Smellerbee watched as his mouth formed the words. Had she not, she would have guessed the soft voice was nothing but the wind. "C'mon, Longshot!" The girl said with a knowing grin, brushing the edge of her nose with a fist, "You know I'm made of tougher stuff!"

The young male let his eyes shift from the shadowed figure hunched on a boulder below, to the girl who had become closer than family. "I was – worried," he admitted, a faint scowl etching into his face. It sounded so strange, acknowledging the fact, though it must be universally understood because they were practically family. He rarely expressed his thoughts or emotions, but Smellerbee always just _knew_. And that made the difference, he supposed, that enabled him to not only realize but share the fact that yes, he _was_ worried about her. The Duke, Pipsqueak, Jet – they had all disappeared. But she was still around, and they depended one each other more than ever. To suddenly lose even that…

Longshot just barely shuddered at the prospect.

"No need to be worried about me!" Smellerbee insisted, nodding into the night with a look of determination. "I can handle anything. You know I can. I'm a big girl, Longshot. Don't waste your time worrying about _me_." And she gave him a bold wink, "I ain't scared of nothing!"

And Longshot decided to keep silent rather than tell her that he wasn't worried for her, but for himself – and what her absence would do to him.

* * *

It was good to see them again, of course it was. Sokka and Smellerbee, and those children he had never met before but reminded him of how joyous childhood was, and how optimistic they could be – they reminded him so much of his own life, before all of the Avatar business, before responsibility was suddenly hoisted onto his shoulders. When all he could worry about was studying and inventing new airbending tricks to show his friends. But all of that was taken away from him. There was no denying that he missed his childhood, that he wished he could relive those days, when he could be with other Air Nomads, with his people, with _Monk Gyatsou_. A breath slipped past the Avatar's lips as he crossed his legs beneath him, straightening his spine. Aang sat alone out in the garden under the moonlight that took up the night sky, the moon that filled it with a silvery glow that was both comforting and familiar.

Closing his eyes, he shifted the reminiscent thoughts to that of the present. _Balance, power, energy, _echoed in his head, thoughts whispering a random stream of words. _Sun, moon, Katara_. And there, he stopped. _Katara_. There, he lingered. _Katara_. There, he smiled. The gentlest of smiles graced his lips at the thought of her and her eyes that were imprinted in his mind. She was a force to be reckoned with, a girl whose hand was both capable of healing and inflicting large amounts of pain. Whose eyes could be both serene and glacially severe. Whose voice could sound like music or an irritating buzzing sound that refused to leave your ears. Katara was his teacher in more ways than just waterbending – she taught him about love and life and growing up. She was his constant, his reason for saving the world. She was his Forever Girl.

Even so, despite the assurance in his mind, in his heart, that he and Katara belonged together (like Tui and La, Oma and Shu, Sokka and meat), Aang was unable to stop the sinking feeling that, for some strange reason, the waterbender who charmed him from the very start was slipping through his fingers. And that it was out of his control—

"Aang?"

She interrupted his thoughts, but it was a welcome disturbance. The Avatar turned to see her figure at the top of the stairs heading down into the rock garden. He smiled in greeting, though she likely missed it. "Did you rest enough?" His voice was low, softer even than the evening breeze.

The young woman nodded, making her way across the garden to stand near him, eyes studying the moon. "Well enough," she answered, "it was a bit difficult to sleep when Sokka is showing off his progression in swordsmanship to Master Piandao." Katara let out a breathy laugh and glance the airbender's way. "You know how Sokka likes to exaggerate. And be really…loud."

Aang couldn't bring himself about to share in her attempt at humor. "Katara…"

The seriousness in his voice shook her and her eyes lost their mirth.

The Avatar refused to see the worry in their depths, but could not seem to erase the memory of _his_ Forever Girl in someone else's arms.

_He stood in the middle of the library, staring at the vast shelves but gaze distant. It was obvious that something else was on his mind, something other than the books that stood before him, and perhaps that the walls around him had melted away to form a new setting, one only he could see. Katara could just barely see his face, the profile of his untouched side. Skin pale and clear of marks or scars. His one visible eye closed and she could see him struggle to keep his breath steady._

"_Zuko?"_

_The prince's eyes snapped open at her intrusion, but he didn't bother to look away from the shelves upon shelves he was distractedly studying. "Shouldn't you be with the others?" He asked dully, not really paying attention to her or her presence or the words that fell so automatically from his down-turned lips._

_Katara stood in the doorway, unmoving - but not of fear, rather, sympathy. "Shouldn't you?" She proposed in turn, letting her voice quiet to match his hushed tone. The firebender seemed not to have heard. "Zuko…"_

"_Why did she do it?"_

_The girl stared at him, knowing instantly what he was talking about._

"_Why did she do it, Katara?" And he turned to her then, face confused and broken in the most painful of ways. Oh, how she understood that longing and lack of understanding so well. Wondering and hoping and fearing and missing. The uncertainty of their situation, the silence of love and longing for comprehension. It was all there, plain as the sun burned in the sky._

"_Because, Zuko," the waterbender said serenely, stepping into the room. "She loves you."_

"_Why would she do something so stupid?" The prince continued, disregarding her words. "We could have gotten away on our own. She…Azula will probably – god I don't know what Azula will do—she's crazy—"_

"_Mai did what she thought was right."_

"_She was such a good _liar_. Azula always lies but Mai lied just as well—"_

"_She did it for the White Lotus Society."_

_Zuko impatiently ran a hand through his hair. Bewildered and irritated and unsure as to why. "It was stupid and reckless and—"_

_A hand caught his cheek. Gentle and fragile. _

_Amber met azure._

_That assuring smile of hers, "She did it for you."_

_Zuko let her take him into a comforting embrace, but all the while could not silence his traitorous mind. Mai was good the entire time, and he gave her such a hard time of it. Mai was good, she had always been good, and he tore her heart out. Mai was good and saved their lives. Mai was good, and she loved him, and for some bizarre and unknown reason, he doubted he could repay her that gesture._

_Out in the hall a young airbender watched the scene that could have been harmless and completely platonic, if it wasn't for the way Katara's hand caressed the firebender's face, if it wasn't for the way she let him hold her so tightly, and the way she combed her fingers through his hair so delicately, as if holding something precious to her heart._

"Aang, is everything alright?"

But he was probably being silly, right?

"You look kind of down…"

Because his waterbender was just being sweet and caring and _motherly_.

"I know what will cheer you up!"

Like she always was.

"Watching Sokka get his butt kicked by a girl."

To everyone.

"Come on!"

Even to him.

Aang returned her excited smile with a rather frail one of his own, and nodded. "Yeah, that always makes everyone feel better," he agreed, putting on his very best front before following her up the steps towards the extravagant mountain home.

* * *

"You must hate me."

"I could never hate you."

"How can you say that? After what I did?"

"I was only sad. Sad that you had lost your way."

Zuko stared at his uncle, vision blurring unexpectedly. He didn't understand how the old man could dismiss his mistakes so easily, how could anyone be so ready to forgive? No one else Zuko had wronged granted such sincere pardon – save perhaps the Avatar, and even then it was because Aang needed him and his firebending. But his uncle…

"But you found it again, all on your own," Iroh continued quietly, nodding in approval. "And that has given me the greatest happiness."

He took his nephew into a welcoming embrace and for the first time in a long time, Zuko felt truly at peace.

* * *

Sokka studied the map of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, muttering seemingly nonsensical things. Anyone who might have been eavesdropping wouldn't have been able to string together a single sentence from his words. Suki leaned across the table as she followed the lines separating the land mass into sections. Various areas were marked with a small flag bearing the Fire Nation emblem.

She scowled, tearing her eyes away. "How are we supposed to take on their entire army?" She demanded in frustration, unable to stop thinking about Taihen and the other concubines. They had bid her farewell so surely, so strongly, and Suki left with barely a glance, fooling herself into knowing the young women could fend for themselves. But now that she was safe and out of the way, she had a sinking feeling that she had made the wrong decision. The panic gripped her and refused to let go.

It was the blind earthbender seated at one of the table heads who answered, idly picking her ear with her pinky. "I don't think that's our biggest issue." Toph stated, "We're strong enough to take on the army, it's the Fire Lord and his other megalomaniac cohorts that will get in the way."

"You mean Azula," Katara prompted.

Toph grinned. "Think about it, if we make a few messages and call together all of our friends, our combined forces could breach the Fire Nation boundaries, I'm sure of it. But what about when we get there? Then what?"

"_Then_ we take down the Fire Lord," Aang finished.

"It's not that easy," the waterbender insisted.

And to her surprise, he snapped. "Nothing's ever easy, is it? All you can do is try—" _to win your heart_, "—and hope—" _that no one else already has._ "But right now it's clear that someone is telling Azula and Fire Lord Ozai about our movements. We need to think of a plan."

"We _need_ to wait and see," King Bumi added, pouring himself a cup of tea. "Wait for their act and see what it does, or what they are trying to do."

"How can you just sit around and _wait_?" Jing-Wei exclaimed, standing up from her seat. "Lives are being lost every second we _wait_ and _see_!"

Suki could only agree.

"All my life I've always rushed into situations and made rash decisions," Zuko spoke up, drawing the room's attention. "I never thought anything through."

"And how has that worked for'ya?" Sokka asked, arching a brow the firebender's way.

Zuko hesitated. "Not so great at first. I was constantly trying to capture the Avatar—"

"The good ol' days," Sokka added.

"—but I would always fail. I let my anger determine my actions. Trust me, it gets you nowhere."

"You can say that again," Smellerbee said quietly, Longshot nodding once, stiffly, beside her. "Anger's not very good motivation, it might feel great, but in the end it's really unfulfilling."

"So we agree, we need to take this one step at a time," Piandao established, hand absently stroking his chin as he pored over the map with his pupil. "First thing's first – what is something we need to do before taking on the Fire Nation capital? What do we need to help round up support and morale? One stepping stone closer to the eventual invasion?"

After a stretch of silence, it was Longshot's low and unfamiliar voice that answered, "Recapture Ba Sing Se for the Earth Kingdom."

"I couldn't agree more," Iroh encouraged with a hearty chuckle.

Piandao nodded then, grabbing a scroll from a nearby bookshelf and laying it out on the table. "We will need greater numbers. We can call on members of the White Lotus," he suggested, "But I'm not entirely convinced that would suffice."

"We've got friends from the swamp country," Sokka suggested, "And waterbenders in the North Pole, and we can ask dad and the others!"

"There are loads of people we've met who I know would help us," his sister enthused, eyes lighting up at the prospect of seeing old faces. As the night wore on, everyone's spirits had risen with the forming plans. Suddenly, the future didn't seem so bleak. They would call on the many friends they met on their journeys, they would train every day until the time was right, perhaps even learn new skills and hone older ones—

"_Zuko, I would like to teach you how to bend lightning," Iroh mentioned. "But for that, we will need Katara's help."_

"_I would be honored," the waterbender replied with a look of determination._

After the council, the group relaxed and decided to gather around to rest up for the night – or what little of the night they could salvage. Training and messages would begin the next morning, recapturing Ba Sing Se would require much needed assistance. Iroh, Piandao and Bumi retired for some sleep, the children who had followed Smellerbee has been snoring lightly for hours, in a room just down the hall from the library.

Aang and the others were seated outside on the fresh grass, under the silvery moonlight. It was tranquil, and a peace befell the members, setting their minds at ease for the first time in weeks. Things might not have been any better than when they started, but things seemed to be heading in that direction, slowly but surely, and it would be nice, they thought, to be reunited with their friends once again, to be among familiar and reassuring faces.

Jing-Wei sat alone under a peculiar looking tree with strange looking fruits budding upon its branches. It was Katara who approached her, offering the lonely young girl some company. Katara knelt beside her, staring up into the dark canopy above them. If the earthbender noticed her arrival, she didn't show it. Katara leaned back, stretching her legs out before her, and sighed. "How are you doing?" She opened tentatively, reluctant to ignite a ticking time-bomb. For the little time she had known Jing-Wei, she knew the girl was a fire cracker.

"They told you, didn't they?" The young girl mumbled through her arms, resting on her withdrawn knees.

"Er, yeah…" Katara said awkwardly, peering over at her comrade.

Jing-Wei shook her head. "I don't know," she said, "I don't know how I'm doing. I hated Mazo, I did. I felt it in my stomach." And she sat up, hand resting on her belly, "This raw fiery urge to just…I don't know, hurt him, you know? But not really," she added as an after thought. "It was a like, I couldn't stand him, but I never wanted him to die or anything. I just wanted to hurt him as much as possible – and no one else could hurt him, you know? If anyone else did, I got angry."

To Katara's surprise, she understood so well what Jing-Wei was feeling. "That's kind of how I feel about Sokka sometimes," she responded.

Jing-Wei laughed. It sounded hollow and bitter. "No, you don't get it. It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

The earthbender's shoulders fell and she stared at the blades of grass between her feet. "I loved him."

It was something she had known all along but refused to acknowledge, something that she wanted so badly to not be true because Mazo (stupid firebending git) had been oh-so aware of her affections, from the moment they met, he seemed to see the future. He constantly goaded her, and yet flirted with her all the same, and she was dead-set against it. But no dice. She had fallen hopelessly in love with him.

Fantastic.

"How can you be so sure?" Katara asked gently, "You're so young. How can anyone be sure what love is? Especially at a time of war?"

Jing-Wei glanced at her companion and knew that despite the few years separating them, she was more aware of the matters of the heart and soul and mind than her waterbending counterpart. Perhaps if Mazo hadn't betrayed them, she would still be blissfully unaware, still so naïve – but his abandonment, his treachery, woke her up. It was love, she knew, because only love could make her hurt so much.

"You're lucky, you know that?" Jing-Wei said softly, contemplatively, eyes glassy and staring off into the distance. "You're lucky that Zuko's good."

And Katara frowned thoughtfully at the sentiment, tearing her eyes away from her heartbroken earthbender friend, directing them onto a certain firebender who was seated between Toph and Aang, grinning while Sokka reenacted just what happened at the festival.

She nodded then, once, slowly, a tentative smile making its way across her lips. "Yeah…I, I guess I am."

Jing-Wei saw the ghost of a smile on her friend's lips and hoped to the Spirits that Katara's heart would not be broken in a similar manner.

* * *

**NOT even close in terms of length, sorry for the shortness :C  
I know where I want to go, but I guess I have some trouble getting there  
I'm still working on characters and getting them in the right places  
I haven't gotten a grasp of the group dynamic yet, either**

**BUT thanks so much for reading, everyone  
and I already have the next couple of chapters outlined  
I'll be working on it soon!**

**Fl**_ii_**ck  
**


	16. Repercussions and Preparations

**AND **here's the next chapter, not yet edited for grammar and such, I'll be doing that soon, but I'm so excited to finish it up that I had to post it! I've decided this fic will be about 20 chapters long, so it's coming to an end! I've mapped out how I want the rest of the story to carry on, too, so you can count on me finishing! _Gasp!_ I know haha. On another note, there's a flashback in here that is a scene with Aang and Katara, and it happens to be a flashback of a scene that I wrote in this story, I believe it was in Chapter 10 _Strung Taut_. Mm...I'm pretty tired, so I'll end this here. Thanks for everyone who has read and reviewed, I think I replied to all of you...? Also, a special thanks to _Saraii_dragon_ because you're anonymous and I can't reply to your review, but I appreciate your dedication to commenting on every chapter C:

**ALSO** huge thanks to: _lazyguy90_, _shana__.rose., Eriolchan, _and_ earlyparades_ for sticking with this fic through my absence and offering your support!

* * *

**A C Q U I E S C E N C E **

* * *

_Jing-Wei saw the ghost of a smile on her friend's lips and hoped to the Spirits that Katara's heart would not be broken in a similar manner.

* * *

_

_**Chapter XVI**_

**Repercussions and Preparations

* * *

**

**C**an anyone tell my why you're all here?" The princess' voice was cold and demanding as she stood before the row of beautiful young women, none of whom, she noted with snide vanity, compared to herself in any respect. "Can anyone tell me why I have called you together for this little council?" Her golden eyes were fierce with accusation, though carefully narrowed to reveal nothing but a professional air. Azula just barely pursed her lips together, sauntering down the row of young ladies clad in silks and things, chin held high, hands linked behind her back. "_No one _can answer?" She mocked, "Are you not given brains with your beauty?"

One girl simpered on the spot, letting out a sniffle in fear, and the princess turned to her at once, amber gaze zeroing in on the weakest link like a hawk spotting poor, injured prey. Azula stalked to stand before her, a small girl – fragile and delicate, with an innocent face and terrified eyes. She appeared to be no older than twelve, or perhaps thirteen, and the silks of her attire swallowed her still filling out figure.

"Did you say something?" Azula sneered, looking down at the poor girl from the edge of her nose.

The youngest concubine shook her head, tears streaming down her small face. "N-No, Princess Azula," she just barely managed to choke out. She seemed to have obvious trouble breathing, and hiccuped through her crying.

"Then will you keep quiet so someone who has something to tell me can be heard?" The royal brat snapped, scowl emphasized by the torchlight flickering behind her. "Your blubbering is disgraceful – and I can barely hear myself through it. Honestly, if you're so afraid of this place, you might as well leave," and she turned away, idly smoothing down a strand of her hair. "Go on, then, _leave_." When the girl neither moved nor made a sound, Azula glared. "_Well?_"

"I-I'm not afraid of this place," was the concubine's soft and terrified reply.

Azula glanced back at her over her shoulder for the briefest of moments. "No, you don't understand. I'm _telling_ you to leave."

"But Princess, I have no where to go—my family was lost during the siege—!"

The firebender's shoulders dropped carelessly, back still towards the cowering young girl. "Do you really think I care?" She asked flippantly, tilting her head to the side, "You should have thought of how good you had it here in the palace. But – off to the streets with you. Guards?"

And at her command, a small cluster of red armored men moved forward to take the crying little girl from the line.

"No, no please—Princess Azula, please, I didn't mean to disrespect—"

"Disrespect?" Azula repeated, turning to look at the pathetic creature. "What are you talking about? I simply cannot stand having such weak excuses of people to be living under the very same roof as me." And she gave the girl a curt nod, as if to dismiss her, and waved a hand to signal the guards. "Take her away."

They did.

"Now, where were we…?" The princess resumed, gaze falling onto the rest of the concubines. She knew they had housed for a vigilante, she recognized that Kyoshi Warrior woman too late, and it infuriated her to know the girl had been hiding amongst the _concubines_. Was she, perhaps, the one who had poisoned the tea for the Fire Lord? Was that Water Tribe Peasant among the concubines as well? How much did these ladies know? What were they up to? Azula did _not_ like the thought of bubbling conspiracy, especially right under her nose. "Does anyone her have any idea as to how a prisoner meant to be sent to the Boiling Rock wound up biding her time in the palace?"

Silence.

Azula frowned. "If none of you are able to help, perhaps I should send you all to the Boiling Rock."

"No!"

Golden eyes searched for the defiant voice and fell upon an older-looking girl, not much older than herself, with alarmingly beautiful features. "What did you say?"

"You shouldn't punish these girls for what they had no part in."

Azula's brows rose. "Oh, really. And how do you know they had no idea of the situation?"

"Because," the girl declared with too much vigor, too much dignity, "_I'm_ the one who's been harboring the prisoners and _I'm_ the one who helped set them free."

"Is that so?" The princess declared haughtily, sizing up the presumed traitor. An insolent glare met Azula's trained arrogance. "Very well," Azula answered swiftly, turning on her heel to leave the trembling concubines in the hall, "You pay with your life. Guards."

And the guards moved forward, taking the concubine in their grasp.

::

It wasn't until later that a message came to Taihen, when she was locked up in her cell, that she would be executed in three days' time.

* * *

The morning came, harsh and unforgiving, the heat so thick that air waves rose from the ground. It was a scorching summer day, and there was so much to be done. Despite the sticky weather, everyone set to beginning their tasks: Piandao, King Bumi and Sokka penned messages to various members of the White Lotus as well as the many benders and warriors Aang had encountered throughout his journey, asking for aid to free Ba Sing Se. Suki helped train the youngest children the basics of martial arts and self-defense. They were not supposed to fight, but should the need arise they would at least know how to survive. Smellerbee and Longshot helped with the children, attempting to teach the tactics of guerilla warfare. Aang, Katara, Zuko, Toph and Jing-Wei sparred amongst one another, honing their skills and stretching the limits of their already mastered elements.

"You need to breathe deeply," Zuko instructed as he closed his eyes, filling his lungs with air. "Feel it in your gut, control it, and then exhale." The firebender did so, moving through a simplistic motion, his arm stretched, hand in a tight fist, and a jet of fire erupted from the action, burning through the already heated air.

Aang watched carefully, studying his teacher's foot-steps, memorizing the sharp gestures of his arms and hands, and nodded. "So, take a deep and steadying breath," he repeated, slowly inhaling, "fill yourself with the fire you're going to exert…" the Avatar closed his eyes, imagining a burning fire in the pit of his stomach, taking control of its dangerous power, "…and then exhale." His motion was sharp and precise, shadowing Zuko's stance, and a lethal barrage of flames licked the air before his eyes.

"Good," the prince nodded in satisfaction. Though he didn't express it, Zuko was rather proud of the Avatar. He could remember Aang's reluctance to firebend at all, and, if he did, it was often without heart, without drive. But anyone could see that the Avatar was focusing, truly focusing, and learning, and trying, and it clearly paid off. "That's the basic premise of firebending, but you need to remember to do all of those things and ingrain it into your mind so that you can firebend without thinking, you can simply call upon it like second—"

"Hey, look at me!" Aang was calling to his giant bison, swirling a flame in circles through the air, easily manipulating the blaze to grow and shrink and dance in fancy patterns.

"Or you can just be the Avatar and grasp the concept right away," Katara giggled from the garden nearby where she, Toph and Jing-Wei were learning about the others' bending practices.

Zuko grinned her way before turning his attention to his pupil once again. "Alright, I think we can move on to something more difficult," he suggested, waving the Avatar over. As Aang finished up his fire display, clearly showing an aptitude for bending, the prince muttered a quiet, "Or you can just be like Azula," that only Toph managed to hear.

* * *

"Here's some more food!" The girl said in a familiar and comforting voice, fitting the small box of noodles through the small iron bars. Her cheerful face peered into the dark cell, eyes wide even in the shadows. "I would have brought some firecake, too, I know how you like that, but the cooks were starting to ask questions!"

Mai gladly took the box from her friend's waiting hands and offered what could be understood as a smile. "Thanks, Ty Lee," she replied monotonously, eyes lowering to the provisions. A silence hung between them then, more tangible than the iron door separating the two. "You shouldn't be here," Mai said at last, still eyeing the small box of noodles. "Azula will—"

Ty Lee giggled then, pointing a finger in the air. "Well Azula won't if she doesn't find out!" She said with that insufferable, endearing, and uplifting smile of hers. "Besides, I can't just let you sit here and starve and be lonely!"

The dark-haired girl couldn't stop the small grin from reaching her lips. Leave it to Ty Lee thinking Mai ever really got _lonely_. Of course, it might have been true, if the young girl wasn't so accustomed to sitting alone, being a good little girl as her parents encouraged in childhood.

"Why did you do it?"

The question was so quiet and guarded that Mai blinked and glanced up into the suddenly serious face of her comrade. She blinked once more, slowly, trying to form the words to explain why she risked her own safety, her own future, for Zuko's safe escape. She knew how it looked, how it might sound, that her reason for acting out was her _love_ for the banished prince, but Mai frowned thoughtfully, dark eyes peering sincerely into Ty Lee's gaze. "I didn't do it for him, if that's what you're thinking."

And that was the truth.

Ty Lee nodded, the smile returning to her face. "Alright, I'll be back later for dinner!" And she disappeared down the corridor, swift and silent.

Mai stared at the place her friend stood, still holding on to the box of food, and knew that, though she adamantly denied sacrificing her cover to save Zuko (_and his friends_), there was still that part of her, however small, that did, in fact, love him.

* * *

"I have taught you the process of redirecting lightning before," Iroh said, moving through the motions slowly, gracefully. "But that was a quick session on letting your chi in and out. I think you would understand better studying a true waterbender in the act." He nodded to Katara, and the girl stood in her bending stance, mimicking the general's position.

She stretched out an arm, closing her eyes as she just barely touched her wrist with two fingers, grazing the length of her out-stretched limb, and then down to her abdomen, before letting that arm move to the other side and reach out in the other direction. "It's like moving with the flow of water," Katara explained, opening her eyes to look at the firebender for whom she demonstrated.

Iroh nodded in agreement as the waterbender continued through the movements with seemingly unmatched grace. "You see how she is letting her water guide her hands, her arms. See how her feet and legs move with the turn of her body, she is not glued to one spot, but allowing her body to move freely, as to the water's will. It is coursing through her motions, as lightning will course through your body."

Zuko studied the girl with such a potent stare that Katara fidgeted under his careful eyes, but she dutifully ignored the way he watched her, and pursed her lips together, focusing on the motions. The fire prince, on the other hand, was far too distracted with the way each delicate gesture appeared so smooth and glass-like, the way her toned arms, legs, stomach, tightened as she moved, so slowly, so carefully and beautifully, and he mentally reprimanded himself for being so distracted, barely listening to his uncle's words.

"—try it with her now, Nephew," The general urged, giving the younger firebender a nudge. He did so, then, standing opposite the girl he had come to know so well, _too well_, and mirrored her stance. "Follow her fluid motions," Iroh directed, "Generate fire so you can see the course of your hand."

The fire was low and steady, controlled, as it slid alongside Katara's stream of silvery water. Both elements moved side by side, in an elegant arc, so close, but never quite touching. Steam rose in the thin space between them, and fogged the benders' visions.

"Excellent, excellent!" The older man enthused, "You are doing an excellent job, Nephew!"

Zuko managed to grin through the mist. "I've got a pretty good teacher."

The steam blurred Katara's reddening cheeks, and she stopped, leaving the stream of fire alone in the air. "You should probably teach it to Aang," she said, eyes wandering over to where Toph yelled at the Avatar, presumably in the middle of a lesson. "Redirecting lightning is something…he should learn how to do."

_A flash of blue._

_Aang's body convulsed in the air._

_Everything darkened as the light glowing from his arrows vanished._

_And she watched his limp body fall, as if in slow motion._

Katara avoided Zuko's golden eyes as she walked away, pushing the memory out of her mind and finding that it was still far too difficult.

::

She sat on a nearby patch of grass as Zuko walked his student through the moves of lightning redirection. Her mind, however, was playing a different scenario in her head, one that Katara had wanted to forget, but apparently couldn't. The feelings that overwhelmed her back in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se came flooding back – fear, desperation, anger, hurt – and Katara shook her head to clear those thoughts away. It was a terrifying moment in her life, one that she doubted she could ever forget, but she did manage for some time to not think about it.

"Hey look, Katara! I'm doing it!" Aang said happily, quickly picking up on the movement. His laughter was childish and optimistic and almost innocent, except how could someone who faced death and danger on a daily basis – and was destined for something so great – _be_ that innocent? The Avatar did a fancy twirl in the air, his arms straight, legs straight, in an extravagant pin-wheel motion.

Zuko's chuckle called her attention to him, and he was smiling at the airbender. "You took to that easily enough," he observed in amusement.

"I think it's because I had such a great waterbending sifu," Aang replied when he touched down on the grass, light as a feather, and he gave the girl sitting not too far off a bright smile. "It's just like waterbending, redirecting lightning. You have to let it flow through you!"

"Hey, Twinkletoes!"

Aang cringed at the sharp voice.

"If you think we're done training, you've got another think coming!"

It seemed Toph was finished training with Jing-Wei…

"Don't _make_ me count to five! _One!_"

The Avatar grimaced then, and he bid his two friends goodbye. "_No_ don't start counting!" He exclaimed in his wake, leaving both Katara and Zuko to wonder what happened when Toph reached five.

A laugh left Zuko's lips. "With the way he responds so well to Toph's threats, you'd be surprised he's the Avatar," he joked, letting his arms drop to his sides with a sigh. When Katara just barely nodded in reply, the firebender scowled. "Is something wrong?"

"No, why would anything be wrong?" The waterbender answered at once, lifting her chin in some sort of internal defiance. But the way Zuko was eyeing her told the girl that he was not buying it. Katara shrugged, stubbornly lowering her eyes the blades of grass tickling her feet. "It's just…if Aang had learned how to redirect lightning before—"

He instantly knew where she was going and Zuko hesitated before moving do drop down beside the girl he had come to tolerate, perhaps a little too much. "Katara," and his voice was low, hoarse, almost strained, as he spoke her name, tone expressing volumes of regret. "I don't think it would have saved him, then. He was in a different state at the time, even if he had learned the technique, he wasn't aware of what was happening." Zuko frowned into the ground, staring particularly hard at a single dandelion peaking through the grass, "Azula caught him right in the transitional stage from our physical world to the Avatar world—"

And he felt a weight fall upon him, arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and water on his shoulder that he was sure wasn't from bending. Zuko tensed for just a second, before relaxing into her embrace.

Katara's voice was strangled by the tears she hid from everyone, for days, weeks. "I almost lost him," she whispered, trembling just enough to prompt her comrade to secure his arms about her form. "I—I, the world almost lost him. I don't know what I would have done if he had…if he—"

At last Zuko understood, and he just shushed the poor girl, patting her hair down in what he hoped was comfort. "He's alive, Katara. You saved him. Everything's alright, everything _will be_ alright."

She was obviously terrified of losing the man she loved.

And Zuko told himself it didn't bother him one bit.

* * *

"You."

Taihen peered up from her pitiful ration of food, eyes sunken from sleepless night after sleepless night, and stared blankly at the guard standing at her cell door. There was something about the way the guard held himself that would have intrigued a livelier version of herself, but she felt dead. Inside and out. Despite the strong words Suki left behind for her, despite the prophecy, despite her loyalty to the late Princess Ursa…

"Get up."

The concubine did so, surprised at how easily her body responded to her will. She felt much weaker than she actually was – but she found no reason in exerting effort when her hours were numbered. It must be the next morning – the time for her execution. She watched with empty eyes as the guard unlocked her door, clasped her wrists in cuffs, and marched her down the hall.

Taihen had already memorized the path leading to the arena where she would be _killed_, and was surprised when her guard took a wrong turn. The girl blinked but kept silent, allowing the armed man to guide her through the winding tunnels, up a flight of secret stairs, and then through a _wall_ that had emerged when a torch was pulled down like a lever.

It was in that room where the guard removed his helmet and a cheerful and alarmingly beautiful face met Taihen's wary eyes.

"You're that concubine girl, right? The one helping the Kyoshi Warrior?"

She only nodded dumbly in turn.

"Well come on, then we're busting out of here!"

A door on the opposite side of the small expanse opened and a girl came into view, "What's taking so long, Ty Lee? I've got a ship at the coast waiting."

The guard-that-wasn't fit the helmet over her head once again, "Coming, Mai!"

* * *

A few days had passed in success, with replies from friends across the nations who agreed to meet at an isolated beach off the Earth Kingdom coast. Aang had surged with his firebending training, impressing his teacher to the extent of Zuko actually believing he had nothing left to teach, and so moved on to training with swords against Sokka. Katara, intent on learning physical combat in case she was ever without her element, learned from Suki. The days progressed in a similar fashion, messenger hawks and owl-pigs, and other such means of post came strong. Finally, at the end of the fourth day, Iroh had declared he would teach Zuko to bend _blue_ fire.

"It is a matter of controlling _heat_," the Dragon of the West explained, holding forth a cup of cool tea. "Just as I can heat this tea, so can I shatter the delicate china," and he did so, making the heat emanating from his hands become tangible fire, first a red-orange glow, and then more magenta, purple, indigo—_crack_. The tea cup fell to the ground, the tea inside already evaporated. "Using blue fire is simply intensifying the flame."

Zuko nodded in understand as he took upon his firebending stance. A deep inhale, and he moved through the first basic steps of firebending, focusing on _intense heat_ – blue eyes, dark hair, tan skin – his face flushed and he stumbled in the movement.

"Is something the matter, Nephew?"

"No," the prince snapped, returning his attention to the firebending steps. He tried again, focusing his energy once more, feeling the power growing with every motion, and he fired a blaze that was somewhere between a faded pink and red. A frustrated sigh fell from his lips as he tried again. And again and again.

"Don't worry, Nephew. I am sure you will catch on," Iroh assured after the firebender's seventh failed attempt.

Zuko gave the older man a _look_ and scoffed, before muttering a quaint '_I know'_ under his breath and continuing with his task.

::

_( ' "Aang—be careful." )_

"He's been a great teacher," Aang said as he joined the girl of his dreams on the balcony. His gray eyes followed Katara's distant gaze down to the gardens where Zuko was still working on intensifying the heat of his fire. The sun had set hours ago, but the firebender persisted.

Katara nodded, shrugging her shoulder in the process. "He's been out there for hours," she said quietly. "He's going to tire himself out."

Aang watched Zuko with a pensive frown, knowing that silence was something he shouldn't break, but he wanted to ask her outright what it was that she felt for the young firebender. The way she watched him, the way she smiled at him and the way her eyes just seemed to _light up_ when he'd come into view…it all reminded Aang of the way Katara's gaze used to shine for _him_.

(_ ' The airbender looked at her with wide eyes as he lifted a hand to cover hers. Her skin really was so soft…"Only if _you_ promise to be careful." ' _)

The waterbender sighed, turning away from the gardens and instead leaning back along the balcony railing. "He reminds me of you, you know," Katara said, "The way he's so determined to get something right. The way he _trains_. Sometimes you're just as stubborn as he is." She let the smallest of smiles grace her face then, as she thought of Aang and Zuko, and the Avatar was surprised that she could even compare the two. Never had she been more _wrong_ about the liaison between the two elements.

_( ' Katara smiled again, but this time hurt and uncertainty replaced the pride he selfishly proclaimed as his. "Aang..." She whispered tentatively, for a brief moment letting mutual affection manifest between them. ' )_

"I'm not anything like Zuko," was the airbender's staunch reply. "I'm patient and optimistic and—"

"I mean when you two are bending," Katara cut in, glancing over at her friend, her, perhaps, something more than a friend? She studied him then, for the first time since her mission into the Fire Nation. There was determination and sorrow and confusion in his eyes, a sadness in his expression that she refused to see. "You both are lost in your element, both so focused, so…so…_powerful_," and she could have sworn she heard Aunt Wu's voice say that word in chorus.

The airbender fidgeted on the spot, staring out into the darkening horizon. "Katara, do you remember that promise you made me? Before you left for the Fire Nation?"

( '_It was a beautiful thing, one that was much more difficult to let go than she could have ever anticipated. Her hand slipped away from his face and that liaison of spirits stretched thin, striving to connect once more, but unable to do so. "I promise."_

_And with those two words he knew that she meant so much more than the explicit promise…' _)

"I promised I'd be careful," she answered, lowering her eyes to her feet.

Aang nodded, saying nothing else, because each knew what the other was thinking.

Katara had promised to be careful, and despite the implicit connection between them, despite the mutual feeling of growing and blossoming affections, what had once been was falling apart. The way their spirits touched and held, the way they understood each other, were so comfortable, were so, dare he think it, _in love_, was fading away, like ashes to the breeze.

"Katara?"

"Hm…?"

"Thanks for keeping your promise."

And Katara couldn't tell whether or not he was being sarcastic.

* * *

_This message is short, but we've little time.  
The Avatar is rounding up as much help as he can get.  
We plan to re-capture Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth Kingdom._

_We need your help._

He handed the letter to the waiting princess, eyeing the White Lotus tile sitting on the counter. The message was obviously from his _dear friend_, the General Iroh, and it was of utmost importance that Azula understood the plans of the secret society. She gave him that evil smile of hers, if it could be called a smile, and the glint of absolute mischief in her eyes terrified the man, but his life was yet spared, as was his brother's, and it was that thought that allowed Yu to let the Princess leave with the message, and for him to continue to run his Tea Shop in District 9.

* * *

**YAY and so this chapter is done.**

**I've plotted out the next couple of chapters  
And I'm pretty excited for what I've got so far.**

**Now it's revealed that YU from the teashop is the double crosser!  
It was never Mai C: she's good. yay.**

**Also, confusing feelings for Aang, Katara, Zuko and Mai.  
Because now the KatAang and MaiKo are hitting the proverbial fan.**

**Also. Ty Lee, Mai, Taihen escape! **

**Please, please let me know what you think,  
And thank you so much for reading!**

**Fl**_ii_**ck**


	17. Give and Take

**I'm **staring to feel somewhat discouraged for this again. Er...this chapter was a struggle to get out, but the story is coming to an end, so I'm really pushing through. Feedback and suggestions and other-such comments are always greatly appreciated. I'm feeling a bit sleep-deprived, so I'll keep this short. Forgive any errors you might come across, I'm not too fond of this update, but I hope it's alright. _Enjoy!_

* * *

**A C Q U I E S C E N C E **

* * *

_She gave him that evil smile of hers, if it could be called a smile, and the glint of absolute mischief in her eyes terrified the man, but his life was yet spared, as was his brother's, and it was that thought that allowed Yu to let the Princess leave with the message, and for him to continue to run his Tea Shop in District 9._

* * *

_**Chapter XVII**_

**Give and Take  
**

* * *

**T**oday is the day," Iroh opened, staring into the faces of those who dared reply to the various pleas for help. They were a strange army, comprised of various benders and warriors, ages and nations, but they all shared the same fierce spirit – Iroh could see it in their eyes. He greeted the group with welcome arms spread open, as if gesturing to the world, their home, their right and freedom. "Today is the day we take our first solid step to overcoming the Fire Nation," he declared with vigor only a General could possess, "Today is the day we recapture Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth Kingdom!"

A unified roar rose from the people standing along the shores and Iroh could feel the pride swelling up in his gut. The hope, the determination, was almost tangible, like static at his fingertips.

"The Fire Nation has sought to destroy the homes, the lives, and the morale of others. The Fire Nation has wrongfully stolen your freedom. Alone, we could not achieve much, but together – all the elements fighting as one – we shall finally restore balance to this world! Such is not only the Avatar's duty, but ours, as people of this land, as well. And no one should have to ever do anything alone. Isn't that right, young Avatar?"

All eyes turned to the Airbender standing off to the side. Donned in his proud colors of orange and yellow, carefree like a passing breeze but possessing the raging ability for destruction in his gray eyes; he nodded once, rigid and stiff, unlike his favored element, and returned the gazes of his comrades.

"All this time I thought that I would have to do things alone. Ever since finding out that I am the Avatar, I was afraid. Afraid that no one would understand, afraid that my life, my destiny, was to be alone. That only I could maintain and restore balance to the world, that only I would face the Fire Lord. But now I understand," and he glanced over at his friends standing beside him – to Sokka and Toph, Suki and Zuko, and then Katara – and smiled, "That I was never alone, and that I never have to _be_ alone."

A sheen of what could be tears clouded over the waterbender's vision, her crystalline gaze blurring at Aang's softest of gazes. For a brief moment she imagined that he had looked upon her with forgiveness in his gray eyes, forgiveness and understanding for something she did not quite understand, but then he turned away, back to the audience, and she let out an exhale she was not aware she had been holding.

"So today I call upon you to help me restore balance to this world, so that every nation may live freely and happily," Aang continued, earthbending a stone from the ground to rest into his palm, "So that every nation can thrive and flourish," a flame erupted over the clod of dirt, "So that every nation can learn to respect and live well among other nations," and water doused the flame, leaving only ashes in his hand, "And so that fear is dissipated to the winds, like dust." A gentle gust carried the ashes from his palm and into the air, disappearing into the sky.

Applause followed his words and he stepped back, as Hakoda and Piandao moved forward to explain the battle plans.

"That was a wonderful speech," Katara whispered, peering into the airbender's face.

Aang only turned away, still not ready to look into those eyes that once shone for him, eyes that once loved him. "Thanks," he answered, settling his gaze onto her father's back. He was ready to fight the Fire Lord, ready to confront Azula, but far from ready to handle what he could see would be rejection.

* * *

Clouds hovered across the darkened skies, hiding the stars and the moon from sight. They traveled in something akin to silence, the tension strangling sound from the passengers. It was time to initiate their attack, and everyone aboard the air beast was on edge. Sokka was the one who guided Appa, with Zuko kneeling beside him. Katara and Aang worked together, albeit silently, to maintain a disguising fog to surround the flying bison so that they might be overlooked as a cloud. Jing-Wei, Suki and Toph were seated at the back of the saddle. The others would follow in their own airships, or else on the ground.

The once grand walls of Ba Sing Se were in full view and the troops moved forward. The crumbled remnants marred what was otherwise a magnificent city, a vision of hopelessness and sorrow. Jing-Wei's eyes hardened at the sight and she clenched her fist into Appa's fur. A reassuring hand at her shoulder made the girl's eyes jump to Suki, who offered a silent comfort, and the earthbender nodded, settling her jaded gaze onto the looming horizon. She could barely see through the fog that enveloped the flying bison.

"We're almost there," Sokka's voice called from somewhere near the front of the large saddle. "I can see the walls through the clouds. Keep up the mist, Katara, Aang." His tone was authoritative, much like his father, and he narrowed his eyes at the shadowed city, counting his breaths. His stomach was rolling about, threatening to empty its contents, but the warrior swallowed his doubts and fears, steeling himself against those treacherous thoughts. "Zuko, can you signal to the airships to circle around now? They need to get into position to infiltrate the southern walls."

Said firebender nodded, standing to summon a glimmering flame. With an arc of his arm, he created a ring of light bright enough to see through their guise. It faded into nothing after a mere second, but the reciprocating twinkling beyond the mist let him know the message had been understood. "Airships are circling around the city," Zuko informed the Water Tribe warrior.

Sokka nodded in response and said nothing more.

Aang focused on his job, paying no heed to the waterbender standing opposite. He couldn't let himself be distracted by the way she moved so gracefully, so fluidly, like the element she commanded. He couldn't let himself get lost in how the pale moonlight fell over her features, elegant and regal. He couldn't. _Couldn't_. Afterall, he had let it take over him once before and he had kissed – but what came of that incident? _Nothing_. A scowl fixed itself onto his face, and the Avatar mentally chided himself for letting the girl get under his skin. But was he really at fault? She constantly plagued his mind!

"Aang?"

And he was hearing her voice all over the place!

"Is everything alright?"

The airbender blinked from his thoughts and he locked eyes with _her_. The one who was supposed to be his forever girl. Was it too late for that? "Uh, yeah. I was just thinking."

Katara pursed her lips – those soft, soft lips that he could only recall tasting months ago – and gave him a worried look, her limbs absently moving through the motions of pushing and pulling, raising and lowering, circling and then dipping and stretching. "About?" When he didn't reply, she sighed. "The attack?" Again, no reply. "Aang, I know you're afraid, but—"

"I'm not worried about this invasion," the airbender snapped. When the waterbender remained silent, clearly stung at his reprimand, Aang looked away. "I'm fine. Everything's fine."

Katara didn't believe him, but knew better than to press the matter further. Instead, she nodded, dismissing the pang of guilt that clutched at her chest. "If you say so."

It was Toph who noted the exchange with mild curiosity and tucked it somewhere in the back of her mind. At the moment, they had more important things to attend to.

"We're nearing the Wall, everyone prepare to land," Sokka instructed from Appa's head. "Katara, Zuko – you two are going ahead. You're to cut clear across Ba Sing Se to meet with General Iroh and Master Pakku. Remember, fight whoever you can but run if you need to. Toph and Jing-Wei, you're each heading to the western and eastern gates to rendezvous with Master Piandao and King Bumi– take out the guards there so the airships can infiltrate the city from there. Suki, you help me guide the others following after us into the city and lead the preemptive strike. Aang you're going to—"

"Do nothing," the Avatar answered, eyes dark. "Lay low, and do nothing."

Sokka frowned. "You're our secret weapon. Keep an eye on everything going on, if things go smoothly, you won't have to fight."

Zuko glanced back over his shoulder at the airbender. "But don't forget what I taught you about redirecting lightning," he said cautiously. "You never know what might come up."

Aang said nothing in turn, merely nodding his reply.

If all went well, he wouldn't need to redirect anything.

And something about that didn't sit well with him.

"We're going down," Sokka warned as Appa descended over the wall, thus far unseen by the sentinels standing guard. "Zuko, Katara—"

"On it," the firebender declared as he stood.

Katara ceased her waterbending and the cloud dissipated, revealing the flying bison. Before the guards could sound the alarm, she and Zuko had taken care of them and Appa safely crossed the wall, touching down in the city. The duo leapt down from the air beast and were about to take off, but Aang's voice beckoned the waterbender. She turned to see him land on his toes before her, and raised her brows in silent expectation.

Aang met her eyes for the umpteenth time that night, except his gaze was no longer guarded and insecure. In the gray depths, Katara could see the airbender she had come to care for, perhaps more than she should. He shook his head and touched a hand to her cheek, tender and loving, "Be careful."

She offered a soft smile and nodded. "Only if _you_ promise to be careful," was her familiar answer, and then she stepped forward to press a gentle kiss onto his waiting lips—

And Zuko pretended it didn't bother him.

(Except it did.)

—The kiss was barely there, like the wind, and then she moved away so fast that Aang only had time to widen his eyes in surprise. Had Aang imagined her daring move?

"I promise…" he answered.

But she already disappeared with Zuko, into the night.

.

.

.

They moved together, darting from shadow to shadow, crossing the streets with unsurpassed agility. The Fire Nation soldiers were stations every block, it seemed, patrolling the grounds for any signs of trouble. Katara and Zuko pressed themselves up behind a tower, hidden in the shadows. Peering around, Zuko squinted through the dark, just barely able to make out the figure of a person walking along down the road.

"There's only one," he whispered.

"There's bound to be more nearby," Katara replied just as quietly, gaze jumping up and down the street. "There," she said as a shadow lengthened along the cobblestone path further into the city. "I think they've got a man at every lane."

A soft exhale came from the fire prince, a breath Katara felt against her cheek, and she blinked up to look at him, crouched over her. It was dark, but she knew the arrogant look in his eyes all too well. "Nothing we can't handle," Zuko said with what she knew must have been a grin on his lips.

She smiled in turn. "Of course, after infiltrating the palace, moving through a city should be no problem."

For a moment the memories came rushing back—

Late night exchanges.

Covert glances.

Daichi.

Katara shook her head. It was not the time. "After you."

Zuko jumped from the roof top in a manner that she found far too familiar, and landed silently on the street. She followed suit, feet barely making a sound as she crouched down, and was about to sprint after the prince, when something he dropped caught her eye. A blue demonic mask stared up at her from the dark stone path.

_"Who _are_ you?"_

"_Your Prince Charming_._"_

All along, it was him? All along he was the Blue Spirit? Suddenly everything bombarded her, all the clues. Everything he knew about the demon, all that he had excused himself for – why he was so intent on finding the impostor, the person who donned the mask after him. Why couldn't he tell her? Did he not trust her as much as she trusted him? Was his secret far too dangerous? After everything the two had been through, all she had shared, he was still hiding things. He was lying. How much about the prince did she actually know? It might have been a trivial detail in his life, but for some reason, it hurt.

She had told him about her adventures, told him about her fears, about the Painted Lady, about Aang. She had told him. And the entire time, he had been keeping things from her. But what did it matter, anyways? She shouldn't have cared so much.

(Except she did.)

"Hey, you!"

Instinctively, she spun around and drew water from her flask, silencing the guard who, apparently, was not a firebender.

The prince was behind her in an instant, far too near for comfort – rather, far too comfortable in being so near – "What are you doing?" His breath grazed her nose. "You're supposed to be right behind me."

Both pairs of eyes fell onto the mask still sitting on the ground between their feet.

"Katara, I can explain."

"Forget it," the waterbender interrupted, "We have more important things to deal with right now. This doesn't matter."

Zuko told himself that her sharp tone and the apparent disappointment in her eyes didn't bother him one bit.

(Except they did.)

It didn't take long for them to reach the southern exit and the pair scaled the wall, reaching the sentinel tower at the top, and knocked out both guards, stationing themselves at the gates. Katara squinted into the dark, peering though the clouds overhead, and saw a shadow moving across the sky, towards them. "There they are," she whispered, pointing at the approaching vessel.

Zuko nodded, golden eyes studying the nearing airship, and then his gaze fell onto the waterbender beside him who, upon putting two and two together, had refused to speak to him until that point. He sighed, leaning over the tower's edge and looking over the desert. "I was the Blue Spirit."

The girl only shrugged.

"It's not that I kept it from you," the prince elaborated. "I had disposed of the mask months ago. I was running away from my own self…"

Katara shrugged, "It's not important." Crystalline eyes staring into the darkness, she sighed, "So you didn't tell me. Why should that bother me? You didn't feel like sharing that little secret. Since when did we tell each other everything, anyways?" She suppressed the thoughts in her head that argued, "It's none of my business."

"Katara—"

A flash of lightning struck the tower and the pair took cover, leaping out of the way of crumbling stone. Their bodies collided along the pavement of the wall and Zuko picked himself up, just barely spotting the shadowed figure of his companion sprawled across the ground. Dust rose around them, and all he could make out was a column teetering towards the waterbender, "Katara!"

"Zu—" Her gasping reply caught his ears but was silenced as the prince launched himself forward, arms grasping securely about her waist, and the two went tumbling down with a thud. The waterbender's surprised yell was drowned as the structure crashed where she had been standing. Silence rose with the cloud of dust and sand. "Zuko…"

The firebender let his eyes study Katara's face, and then her form, before being satisfied that she was alright, and then he pried their bodies apart. "It's Azula," Zuko declared roughly, looking towards the sky. Even in the distance, he could see the sneer on her face, the triumph in her eyes, and she leapt down from the vessel, landing opposite her brother.

"Hello, Zuzu."

Katara stood up at once, impatiently brushing the hair out of her face. "Where are General Iroh and Master Pakku?" She demanded fiercely, a sinking feeling in her gut letting her know that if Azula had arrived, the airship must have been intercepted.

Azula's narrowed eyes fell upon the waterbender, and she scoffed, tilting her head to the side. Her airship passed over the wall and landed within the city. The men aboard rushed the streets and yells from deeper into the city let the trio know that opponents had come face to face. "Last I saw, their airship was falling to the desert, but do I really care? No."

"You—!"

"Katara," a rough voice commanded and she froze in her stance, gaze jumping to Zuko. He was staring at his sister, locking eyes – gold on gold, both a furious burning gold, but where one held _heat_ the other was stone cold. Zuko clenched his fist. "Go help the others. I've got this."

"Zuko—"

And then he caught her eye from over his shoulder, offering what little assurance he could from the quick glance. "Don't worry about me," he said. "They need you more than I do." _Aang needs you more than I do._

Katara nodded and, with a final glare at the princess, descended from the wall.

Azula's lazy clap drew Zuko's attention once more, and the lightning wielder arched a brow. "That was very touching," she said mockingly, "Sparing that girl's life. You know you can't beat me. You'll never catch up."

Zuko took in a steadying breath and carefully took his firebending stance. "We'll see about that."

* * *

They had come from nowhere, the masses of Fire Nation soldiers, and Sokka immediately jumped into the fray, losing sight of Smellerbee and the children he had previously been instructing to hide amongst the rooftops. They had anticipated some form of offense, but not by such power – the mere traps set for guerrilla warfare would not be enough to drive those soldiers away. He ducked to the side, rolling messily along the ground as a blaze shot towards him, briefly lighting the darkness, and Sokka held his precious sword firmly in his hand.

Everyone around him had taken it upon themselves to engage another in battle, and the sounds of war filled the air, waking the houses, the families who slept fitfully in their homes, the children wide awake in their beds. Lanterns flickered to life, and curtains were peeled open just enough for the bystanders to peek out onto the moonlit streets.

Sokka stood, kicking the barrel he was ducked behind and tripping a soldier, and the lurched forward, swinging down his sword in a graceful arc, before turning with the motion to block another attack directed at his left. He heard a shrill cry from around the corner, and his first thought was _Suki_ but she was fine, she had to be alright.

_Sokka!_

Had he heard that, or was it a trick of the sounds of battle?

"Sokka!"

_That_ was real.

The swordsman swiveled about and saw his sister running towards him, cheeks flushed and dust covering her cloak. "Sokka," she said again over the chaos. "General Iroh and Master Pakku," Katara began, before drawing water from her flask and brushing aside an oncoming blow. The man in Fire Nation armor was swept aside by the force and pressed against a wall. Katara withdrew her waters, aiming them for another soldier coming her way, knocking him off his feet, and then swirled about her, arms dancing through the motions.

Behind her, her brother was locked in a vicious swords match, the clinking of metal echoing down the street. "What about them?" Sokka managed to say between lunges and parries.

"Azula—Azula's here. She arrived at their station! I think she intercepted them," Katara lifted her hands high into the air, letting the water hover above her for a moment, before crashing it down onto her opponent. "She said their airship crashed somewhere in the desert!"

"Hi-_yah!_" The warrior yelled as he brought the hilt of his sword against his rival's collar. "I'm sure they're fine," Sokka said hurriedly, ducking below to hide from view. "They're master benders, there must have been a way to safely land—unless Azula captured them."

Katara refused to even think about that.

"But how could Azula have known about our invasion? These soldiers, they couldn't all have been stationed in Ba Sing Se!"

The waterbender frowned, searching her mind for any possible solutions – only one came to mind. "There's a spy."

"We've gone down that road before remember," Sokka said as the duo ran along the streets, still continuing with the plan to recapture the Earth Kingdom capital. "Mai—"

"I never said it was Mai," Katara said evenly.

"Then who?"

She sighed, skidding to a halt not far from the southern wall and seeing flashes of orange and blue dancing by the fallen tower. "I don't know. But we have to find Aang."

Sokka nodded, "I'm on it! You stay here and help Zuko! It looks like he needs some help!"

Katara was about to protest that the prince didn't want her help, but she saw his form fly through the air and crash back down along the wall, and she knew that she had no choice but to help.

Stubborn firebender.

* * *

"Is that the best you can do, brother?"

Zuko growled as he glared up at his younger sibling, knuckles digging into the stone path beneath him. He was on his knees, cloak discarded and singed from lightning. He had just narrowly dodged Azula's blows, and he could feel the weight of his tiring limbs intensifying with every step. The fire burning within him refused to give up, and so the prince forced himself to stand. "No, I can do much better," he said stubbornly, stepping into a bending stance and releasing a breath of fire.

Azula leapt backwards, dissipating his blaze with an azure flame of her own. Static filled the air, causing his hair to stand on end, he could feel it, the electricity that surged from the young girl. And she laughed almost pityingly at her kin. "Looks like the old dragon's taught you a few tricks," she remarked. Eyes narrowing, the princess, directed a bolt at her brother, "But nothing _new!_"

The prince reached out his arm, feeling the sudden power enter his body, pulsate through his fingers, up his wrist down his arm, and then in his very gut. It was a fascinating sensation, but terrifying all the same, and Zuko carefully aimed his shot towards the waiting princess, before releasing the energy.

All he could see was the way the fiery light cast shadows across her alarmed face, and then the loud electric shock exploding upon contact.

"_Zuko!_"

Zuko's eyes were studying the smoke rising around the area of impact, and he frowned, waiting, _waiting_ to see whether or not it was finally over. Had he really defeated his sister? He didn't see her dodge, neither did he see the lightning _strike_ her. The flash was too bright to register anything past the look of shock on her face – and how strange that expression had been on _Azula_. The fear in her eyes…

It shook him, and, for a moment, he was terrified that he had succeeded, and he wasn't quite sure why.

Katara managed to stand upon the wall, and for the first time since he redirected the blast, Zuko looked over at the waterbender, who was wearing a look of _pride_. For him? A smile was just twisting up the edges of his lips as exhaustion claimed his form and he could feel himself fighting to stand—

And then suddenly the waterbender had sprinted towards him, absolute fear in her eyes.

A flash of blue.

Her body hit him hard.

The smell of singed flesh and fabric and the static shock that jumped across his fingers.

Zuko's face morphed into that of horror as he stared up into the gentle and apologetic smile on his companion.

"Zuko…" she breathed.

"Foolish peasant!" Came Azula's furious cry.

The prince carefully placed Katara on the ground, "Just hold on, Katara. Please, just hold on. Everything will be alright, I promise," limbs trembling at the sight of her pained face, the barely-there rising and falling of her chest, and felt a different, tumultuous, kind of rage boiling within him.

"Giving her life to save _you_. Well it's a shame her sacrifice will have been in vain—"

Everything happened so fast, too fast for Zuko's furious, exhausted mind to register. Azula was blown from the top of the wall with a vicious and biting gust of wind, and Zuko had ducked down to cover the fallen waterbender, golden eyes studying the familiar figure of the Avatar, hovering in the sky. Aang's eyes and arrows were glowing an intimidating shade of blue, resonating power and wrath and merciless destruction. It was fearsome at the least, and he watched in awe as he unleashed his power onto the Fire Nation soldiers.

It was a matter of time before Azula retreated, and as Aang descended onto the wall, tired from expelling so much energy.

As Ba Sing Se rejoiced the liberation of their great city, all Zuko could see, all he could hear, was Aang's heart-breaking cry as he took Katara's limp form into his arms and Sokka's howl of sorrow and furious curses into the night.

"_This is water from the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole. It has special properties so I've been saving it for something special…"_

"It might not be too late," Zuko said, suppressing the fear and anger and guilt wracking his being, that threatened to tear him apart, "What about—what about the spirit water from that oasis?" It took all of his might not to let his voice tremble as he spoke, but he had to keep a clear head.

The waterbender's eyes fluttered lightly and she struggled to breathe. "The healers in the North Pole," she managed to gasp out, looking over at the fire prince who had gone otherwise ignored, "they are far more skilled than I am…"

"It would take weeks to make it to the North Pole!" Aang pointed out.

And Katara smiled that gentle and reassuring smile as she touched Aang's cheek and held her brother's hand – but her eyes were settled on the firebender standing behind them, pale and afraid. "I'll hold on until then. I promise—"

Zuko's worried golden eyes were the last thing she saw before slipping into darkness.

* * *

**C_:_**


	18. Revelations

**I **realize it's been about two months since I've updated. Sorry :c real life is demanding and just kidnapped me. I have some baggage to deal with, and I'm sorting through those nasty little things about life that everyone hates, but I finally managed to get this out! I hope you guys like it, it's a lot of Zutara ahead, haha I think it's all just gushing out now. There's still quite a bit to wrap up, and you can expect some time-skips. I'm aiming this to end in 20 chapters, so it'll be a crazy next two updates, no? We'll see if I can finish everything up in two chapters!

**Anyways, **thanks so much to everyone who's still staying with me through this, I really appreciate the support like you cannot believe. The encouragement is what makes me come back to this fic and type out the next thing and the next, so please, please, please, let me know what you think!

* * *

**A C Q U I E S C E N C E **

* * *

_And Katara smiled that gentle and reassuring smile as he touched Aang's cheek and held her brother's hand – but her eyes were settled on the firebender standing behind them, pale and afraid. "I'll hold on until then. I promise—"_

_Zuko's worried golden eyes were the last thing she saw before slipping into darkness._

* * *

_**Chapter XVIII**_

**Revelations**

* * *

**T**here was something so peaceful about flying through the clouds; the cool night air drying tears that marred pale faces. It was empty up in the vast space overhead, soaring above the gentle, sleeping world below. He thought of the children tucked safely in their beds, the parents curled up together in slumber. He thought of the nocturnal creatures creeping out into the night, adding to the mystery and serenity rather than ruining the stillness. He thought of those innocent people, the young and the old, and those in between looking for love and fighting for a future, blissfully unaware of the catastrophes to come. A scowl settled across his face, and Zuko closed his eyes, a sigh stolen from his lips with the rushing wind. He thought of anything and everything, the world and the universe, and the simplicities of life – anything to distract him from the reality of the dying young woman, unconscious, not far off.

She was asleep. She had to be. She was simply sleeping on the long journey to the North Pole, a journey she had made before with ease. Appa would bring her soon and she would wake and all would be well and…and then what? Zuko inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the air that felt like ice, and opened his eyes to see her figure, protected by her brother. Yue's light stole through wafts of clouds and caressed her in a comforting and almost painful glow, as if the moon itself mourned the waterbender's fate. If he listened closely enough, the Banished Prince could hear Sokka singing a lullaby that must have been from the South Pole…

"Still now and hear my singing," the warrior's voice was rough from his weeping, soft and hopeful, as he sang, "sleep through the night, my darling. I have a tiny sister, thanks to Tui and La that sent her, though she as yet knows nothing. She is so sweet, I am singing…"

"What—" Zuko's voice cracked as he spoke, breaking the gentle and unfamiliar melody. "What is that? That you're singing?"

Sokka blinked up from his sister's face, much paler in the moonlight, and shrugged. "It's something our mother sang to stop her from crying when she was a baby. I, er…changed some words around."

"Oh."

He might have carried on the conversation more, but the prince could not bear the pained look in his comrade's eyes, and the reflection of the sleeping waterbender in their depths.

* * *

He clutched helplessly at the blood gushing from his side and winced in the pitiful attempt to stand. "Dammit," the young man hissed as he stumbled, falling onto his knees, the impact coercing a cough from his cracked lips. Blood spotted the gravel beneath him with the motion, and he cringed, falling to the floor. "I'm dying," he said flatly, to no one in particular, "I'm fucking _dying_, I can't believe it." The firebender closed his eyes, taking in a breath of ashen air and continued to cough uncontrollably, turning onto his side. "This…this is what I had given everything for…"

Footsteps brought his attention to a shadow down the street, and the man squinted his eyes, vision hazy. "Who's there?" He managed to cough, fighting to straighten up so that he might not appear so weak. It was useless. The firebender stumbled once more, brought down to his knees by merciless gravity. "Are you here to finish me off?" He demanded, glaring at the ground, voice filled with hate and disbelief.

A soft hand touched his cheek and he leaned into the familiar warmth, allowing it to guide his face upwards. "I should have finished you off a long time ago," she whispered. "I should have, but I couldn't. I couldn't believe that you…" she was crying. Choking on her tears as he choked on his own blood, and for a moment Mazo forgot that he was in pain, and he managed to sit upright, to take her hand into his and revel in her presence, in her warmth.

"Sparrowkeet—"

But she tore herself away from his grasp, looking at him with absolute horror. "How dare you touch me! How dare you call me that!" Jing-Wei leapt up onto her feet, arms trembling, shaking. It was then that Mazo could see the blood staining her attire, the cuts and bruises that covered her from head to toe, the seared clothes she wore, the hopelessness in her eyes, and he looked away because he could not handle seeing her so broken. "You…you _traitor!_" Her foot swung into his arm, buckling his elbow so that he fell to the gravel. "I trusted you, I, I…" _I loved you_. Jing-Wei shook her head, crumbling to the floor just out of his reach. "How could you? How could you, Mazo?"

"She promised me," his voice was hoarse, as beaten as his body, but he struggled to get the words out, to explain himself though he understood there were no excuses for his actions – only consequences. "She promised me—I would rule at, at her side. Azula." Mazo coughed repeatedly, blood accompanying the vicious attack, and he heaved breath after breath, "But…but I know now, that Azula lied. And—it has cost, me everything."

"It cost you your life, your power, your pride, it's always about you, isn't it?" Jing-Wei declared coldly, eyes darkening at the scene before her, "What is one thing not yours to begin with that you have lost?"

Mazo managed to offer his painfully familiar smirk, "You."

She tried to quell the onslaught of tears, but she failed and they came rushing down her face in heartache and loss and the hopelessness that surrounded them. "I hate you," Jing-Wei stated furiously, hurrying to move by his side so that she could see his face, brush the hair back from his eyes, ease the pain, "I hate you. I hate you so much, I hate you, I hate you," she sobbed uncontrollably, holding him close. "I hate you."

The firebender held her as best he could with his arms slung about her waist, and allowed himself to rest with his head in her lap, closing his eyes. "You and I both know that has never been further from the truth."

Jing-Wei only continued to weep.

.

.

.

"It was impossible that she could have known," Iroh reasoned, eyeing the disaster that lay before him. The once great city of Ba Sing Se was nothing more than shambles. The wall itself had been turned to rubble, the houses and shops within destroyed. Despite the destruction, the people rejoiced in song at the liberation of their great city – though it had fallen, their pride was restored, and they were hopeful yet, that the Avatar would defeat Fire Lord Ozai. A sigh escaped his lips and the General shook his head, unable to survey the mess of what was once a great and impenetrable kingdom. "Someone is working for her, someone from the White Lotus."

"But who?" Piandao pondered, stroking at his trimmed beard. His dark eyes scanned the area Iroh refused to see, and with a simple glance he could count the bodies strewn about the streets. The damage of not only the Fire Nation, but the Avatar, as well. He shuddered at the thought of that innocent monk aglow, eyes unrecognizable in the powerful State of his where no voice or reason could reach him. "I can't imagine any one of our friends betraying us—"

A thud caught the duo's attention and they turned to see King Bumi bring forth a man constricted in cuffs of stone. "Don't dismiss everyone so easily," the old man cackled, setting a careful foot upon the captive. "Things are never quite as they seem."

Iroh's eyes widened at the man brought before them. "Yu? You're the one behind this? You understand the oath taken upon joining the White Lotus—?"

The tea shop owner lowered his head in shame. "You don't understand! She knew, she knew I was involved with some society. She has spies, Princess Azula. She has many spies! And she found me out! And she promised me, promised me that she would keep my family safe! My brother, I have not seen him in so many years…but at least I know, that for all these years, he is safe! Him and his wife! I had no other choice—"

"There is never one road paved before you," Iroh said evenly, "there may be two, or three, or ten, but never only one. It is clear which one you had chosen."

"I did it for Jin! I did it for what family I had left! He would have been murdered, defecting from the Fire Nation army—!"

Iroh frowned, picking up a familiar tile before tossing it towards the traitor. "This is his Pai Sho tile. Admiral Jin has been killed."

Yu's eyes widened in shock, "No—!"

"He refused to stand down and reveal the secrets of this organization. Both him and his wife—" Iroh continued.

"_And_ Chun…?" The District Nine resident whispered, trembling in his cuffs.

"Your betrayal has reaped no rewards," Piandao stated, drawing his sword from its sheath. "And as a Tile Holder of the White Lotus, you know the consequences. You made a blood oath upon accepting your tile, an oath now broken."

"But she promised me," Yu sputtered between his tears, "She promised. Azula promised they would be safe."

Iroh shook his head, turning away from the man he entrusted with his nephew's brief stay in the Fire nation slums. "There is something you did not realize about the princess." He heard a blade swing and a soft thud, and a tear streaked down the old tea monger's wrinkled face, "Azula always lies."

* * *

_She missed the soft glacial skies of her homeland, missed the way the breeze was cool and refreshing. She missed the smell of salt water and the feel of the snow with every step she took, and she missed the food she grew up eating every day, every night, the smell of home, the taste and feel and sound of the South Pole. Katara closed her eyes, for a moment pretending she was back there, upon the snowy slopes, surrounded by winter and everything white and glistening, and she sighed at the thought, at the dream, and how impossible it was at the moment._

"_Katara?"_

_She turned and smiled seeing his face, one she had grown so accustomed to, one she indisputably adored, and the young woman greeted him with a soft kiss. "I thought you were busy today. Meeting delegates and what-not," the waterbender said, turning her attention to the sun kissed morning._

_He shrugged, wrapping his arms around her securely, burying his face into the crook of her neck and inhaling. "I sent someone else in my place to negotiate the treaty. Someone…those old geezers are sure to find…hard-headed."  
_

_Katara blinked, and let out a soft laugh. "Toph."_

"_Who else would be stubborn enough to deal with them?"_

"_They'll be furious with you," the woman said plainly._

_Her counterpart only scoffed, pressing a kiss behind Katara's ear. "They're already furious. Besides, I'm more concerned with this," and his hand rested upon her rounding belly._

"_What about that?" Katara asked with a grin, lacing her fingers through his._

"_I want to be there for you, Katara. You know that."_

"_I know, and I love that you want to be there. Through the morning sickness and the mood swings and the cravings – hey, what's with the face! No one said this would be easy! Besides, you're the one who couldn't keep it in your—"_

_He laughed and she stopped, enjoying his laughter. She felt his lips press into her hair, and then her temple, his embrace tightening almost possessively. "I couldn't be happier that we are bringing a child into this new world."_

_Katara returned her eyes to the horizon, and she leaned back into his chest, letting out a content sigh. "Well, when Katara Junior is born, we are going to the South Pole so she can go Penguin Sledding and—"_

"_Whoa, whoa! Hold on a second there—we are not naming our child Katara Junior! Are you crazy?"_

_The waterbender only laughed and silenced his forming protest with a kiss._

* * *

"Will she be alright, Lady Ame?"

"I have done all that I am able, only her strength of will can save her now."

"All you can? What do you mean _all you can?_ You're supposed to be the best healer there is in the North Pole!" Aang exclaimed in a panic, large gray eyes upset and lost and afraid.

The old woman rested a hand on the Avatar's shoulder, and Aang lowered his head. "The Spirit Water can only help so much. You were lucky Master Katara was at your side the moment you needed it. It is a miracle she was alive when she arrived here. She has been asleep the weeks it took to make it, am I correct? She has not given up."

Aang nodded. "For the most part. What does that mean?"

"That she is stubborn."

"You think she'll make it?" The airbender persisted.

Lady Ame avoided his hopeful eyes, "It is up to her."

Sokka's face fell and he looked upon his sister, lying, unmoving, on the cot. Her expression pained and worried, though she failed to fuss or move or make any sound in her sleep. He wondered if perhaps she was having a nightmare, and pressed a gentle hand to her hair. "Come on, sis," he encouraged, "You can do this. You can make it. You're stronger than this, I know you are."

The Healer packed up her ointments and rags and bowls of strange smelling liquids, leaving behind a container filled with translucent green water and a cloth. "Dab this onto her forehead every now and again to keep her mind at peace," the elderly woman said, "I will be back every hour to change her bandages and treat her wound. I have done what I can to stop the paralysis from spreading, but it has reached far in her journey north."

Sokka nodded, unable to speak, and took the cloth from the bowl. He wrung it out before placing it tenderly upon his sister's forehead. "Stay with me, Katara. Stay with me now, you can do this, I know you can."

"Sokka…"

"Why couldn't you have gone into your Avatar state sooner?" The warrior demanded, not looking at the young monk. "Why couldn't…why couldn't our plans have gone right for once? For once in my life?"

Aang studied the waterbender's face, the way her eyebrows were furrowed in deep slumber, the way her chest just barely rose and fell as she breathed. Her lips were pale and cracked, and he longed to touch them, hoping that maybe she would awake with true love's kiss. But that was for fairytales, and though she was very much a sleeping beauty, he already knew he was not her Prince Charming.

It was difficult not to see it in her eyes, the way they held someone else's in what might be her last moments of life. She had not looked upon him, her brilliant gaze found her Prince.

The Avatar stomped the memory away, tearing his gaze from the young woman. "I couldn't let her go," Aang answered quietly, angrily, as he stood from his seat beside her. _I still can't let her go_. And he left the hut with a slightly confused Sokka behind.

Aang tugged the borrowed coat tightly about his form as he stepped into the blizzard outside, squinting through the flurry of snow to see where he was headed. In truth he had no idea where he was going, just walking to get away, walking to keep himself preoccupied. He would have been able to go into the Avatar State himself if only he had learned to let Katara go that moment in time, in space, with Guru Pathik. But Aang refused, choosing love over all the power in the universe – and why? Because he had thought that he might win her over, he had thought that they were meant to be, that it was their destiny. How foolish he had been.

She was not his forever girl, and she never would be.

He stopped in his tracks as he approached a bridge, spotting a head of dark hair already standing upon it. Something like rage swelled within him, and Aang took a moment to inhale deeply, before letting it all go. It was surprisingly easy to set it aside, perhaps it was because there were other things to worry about. He nodded to himself and neared the figure crouched along the fence, staring absently into the frozen water beneath.

"It's my fault."

Aang stared at the firebender, but said nothing as he joined him on the bridge.

Zuko sighed, shaking his head. "It's all my fault."

"Don't say that," the Avatar began, but his comrade struck the bridge's railing with a fist.

"Don't tell me it's not, because it is!" He declared, hand clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. "It was my battle to fight," Zuko said evenly, leaving no room for argument. "Azula was mine to face, all on my own – she was my battle. Katara shouldn't have—why did she have to—?" His head dropped into his trembling arms.

Aang watched him for a moment, wondering if he was crying and then realizing what a stupid question it was – of course Zuko was crying. Everyone was crying for the fallen waterbender. He lifted his gaze to the skies overhead, gray and cloudy, not a single spot of clear blue. "It was Sokka and Katara who told me over and over again that I never had to do anything alone," he stated simply, recalling the various times the siblings reminded him that they would stay by his side. "And one thing I love most about Katara is that she'll never turn her back on those who need her. You weren't meant to fight Azula alone. And she was there for you."

"She saved my life," Zuko said quietly, studying the frozen river beneath them. "She took the lightning that was meant for me. I thought it was finally over and she…she looked so…I—let my guard down. I shouldn't have assumed Azula was—"

"She has a tendency of saving lives," Aang said wryly.

The firebender looked over at him suddenly, at the attempt at humor there. Bitter and somewhat sarcastic, but entirely understanding, and Zuko frowned. "How can you take this so lightly? Why aren't you angry with me? Why isn't anyone angry with me?"

"How can we be angry with Katara's nature to protect the ones she loves?"

It pained Aang to say it, to admit it, but he forced out the truth, the words, and Zuko's golden eyes closed, turning away from the young monk. "I should have known Azula would live. I should have known she would make it, she always does – I should have taken the lightning in her place. It should have been me. Though no one else is blaming me, though no one else is angry, I am angry enough, and I can never ever forgive myself for letting this happen."

Aang watched the firebender storm away, leaving rather deep footprints in the snow.

* * *

. . .

* * *

The prince was surprised to see that the hut was deserted, and he surmised that Sokka must have been huddled somewhere with Suki and of course, Aang was away, meeting with his uncle. Zuko's eyes scanned the area, before falling upon the waterbender, still asleep on her cot, the third day of her coma after treatment. He moved inside, letting the hut flap close behind him, and remained in the shadows, away from the faint candlelight flickering on the bedside table.

"I shouldn't be here," he whispered to himself, "I'm the last person who should…see you." But he couldn't seem to stop himself from approaching, because Katara's face was so pained that he felt something inside him tremble at the sight. He wondered where her brilliant blue eyes had gone, wondered at the silence that surrounded her, that had surrounded her for two weeks and three days precisely. He allowed himself to be in her presence, selfish and alone, wanting to be near her and knowing he didn't deserve it. "I'm so sorry," Zuko murmured as softly as the air passing by her lips, "I'm so sorry for this, Katara. I shouldn't have let you come with me in the first place – I should have just gone alone. I told you not to stay with me, why did you come back? _Why?_"

His pleading went unanswered and the fire prince crouched down beside her, resting his elbows upon her cot. Zuko frowned at her, at the way, even without moving, speaking, watching, she could make something change inside. Never would he have thought that she could bring him to his knees, and yet there he was, at her side, silently begging for her to wake up. "Why did you save me," he whispered into the night, "Why did you come back after I sent you away. You idiot. You _idiot_, I didn't need you to help me. I didn't need your help." Zuko said, delicately taking her hand in his. "All I needed from you was to stay alive, to not get hurt, and you royally screwed that up," a bitter laugh broke the stillness, and he shook his head. "Agni, you screwed that up…"

The firebender sighed then, replacing her hand at her side and reaching for the damp cloth sitting in a bowl of unusual liquid. "But you were there for me, Katara, and I, I can never repay you…" he touched the rag to her forehead and let the dampness drip down her nose. "…I owe you my life," he assured her sleeping form, "I owe you everything."

He wiped away the droplet sitting upon the bridge of her nose with a finger and leaned back along the blanketed ground, resting his arms on his knees, "Still now and hear my singing, sleep through the night, my darling. My life is spared, thanks to Tui and La that sent her, though she as yet knows nothing. She is so sweet, I am singing…"

Zuko was so lost in the song that was not his, as he sang to the girl that was not his, that he took no notice of the airbender who stumbled upon them and left the hut without uttering a word.

* * *

"_I mean it, Katara. We are _not_ naming our child after you!" The man insisted, moving away from her lips._

_She giggled as he wrinkled his nose at her advancements, reaching on her toes so that their mouths might meet once again. "Oh come on, don't you want her growing up just like me?" _

_He arched a brow at the insufferable bender, at her coy smile and those big blue eyes of hers, and sighed. "Of course I want our child to—wait a second. Are you saying it's going to be a girl?" _

"_I didn't say that," Katara said at once, trying and failing to hide her amusement._

"_We're having a girl?" He breathed out, "We're having a girl!" And he picked her up and twirled her in the air._

"_Put me down you loon!" Katara laughed, playfully beating at his arms, "You're going to make me dizzy!"_

_He set her down onto her feet and kissed her profusely. "A girl?"_

"_I never _said_ we'd be having a girl," the waterbender insisted quietly. And then she kissed his adorable pout away. "But if we did, wouldn't you want to name her Katara Junior?"  
_

_The man pulled away and fixed her with a stern look. "Katara, I'm serious. We are _not_ naming our child—"_

"_Yeah, yeah—oh look, isn't that a pretty butterfly?"_

"Katara_!"_

_She laughed and grabbed his hand before he could prod her nose, "You know, you are going to make such a wonderful father. Are you excited?"_

_He swallowed whatever retort he had prepared and turned his attention to her stomach. "You know I am." His touch was gentle and loving, just like his voice, "Still now and hear my singing, sleep through the night, my darling. I have a tiny daughter, thanks to the spirits that sent her, though she as yet knows nothing. She is so sweet, I am singing…"_

_Katara lifted his chin to meet her watery eyes. "We don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet," she whispered._

_And he thumbed away a tear that escaped her vision, "Still now and hear my singing. Our child will be perfect, my darling. Boy or girl, thank the Spirits that completed our world, though our babe as yet knows nothing. This is so sweet, I am singing…"_

_The waterbender just barely had time to utter his name when he bent low for a kiss._

.

.

.

"Zuko…"

The prince blinked at the sound, fixing his hazy vision upon the still sleeping waterbender. Had he imagined her voice? Imagined her calling his name? Zuko rubbed at his good eye and stretched his arms above his head. "Must be dreaming," he mumbled to himself, arching his back to stretch out his spine. He had been crouched beside the young girl all night and judging by the soft gray falling upon the hut, morning must have been coming soon.

He settled beside her once again, taking the cloth from the bowl and dabbing at her forehead, and her eyes fluttered then, or else it was a trick of the light. Zuko's frowned as he watched her face for any further movement – there was none. He sighed and removed the washcloth, dipping it into the bowl once again.

"You idiot," he reprimanded as he wrung out the cloth, "You're such an idiot for saving me, for coming back, you huge idiot." Zuko set the rag upon her and brushed back a strand of her dark hair. "Why won't you just wake up already?" he asked quietly, desperately, "Just open your eyes, Katara. Please, please, just open your—"

"Z-Zuko?"

The firebender nearly stumbled over at the sound, her soft and unused voice hoarse. "Katara?" His eyes jumped to her face, her eyes—oh Agni, her _eyes!_ Wide and beautiful and sleepy and tired but still awake! So very awake! "_Katara_," he barely managed to breathe out in immense relief before taking the girl into a fierce embrace. "You're alive!"

"Well of course I'm alive," the waterbender teased, cringing at the sudden jerk into his arms and the pain that shot up her side with the motion. "But if you don't let me go, I might suffocate." She told herself she didn't miss the warmth when he released her. Katara smiled at the relief on his face, at the way his golden eyes were so _caring_ and _vulnerable_, and she felt as though there was something she was forgetting – a strange sense that there was something she wanted to tell him, or should tell him, but that sensation was instantly erased the moment the hut flap was pushed aside and a beaming Sokka rushed inside to greet her, followed by Suki and Toph, and lastly, Aang.

"Katara! I knew you'd make it, I knew it!" Sokka exclaimed, "Didn't I say it, Suki? Didn't I say she'd make it?"

Suki laughed, wiping away the tears in her eyes at her friend's survival. "Yes, yes you did, Sokka," she whispered quietly, giving the waterbender's hand a gentle and reassuring squeeze.

"Glad to see you're awake," Aang's voice drew her attention to his gaunt face, lifeless and tried, as though he had gone through some sort of ordeal. Before she could question him about it, he beamed at her, that boyish light in his smile but not reaching his eyes, "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you."

"Ah, I knew the whole time Sugarqueen'd make it!" Toph said, "She's almost as stubborn as I am!"

Katara had the sudden sense of _déjà vu_ at hearing those words, as though they were an echo of an earlier time, and she blinked as the looked around at the happy faces around her, noticing that a particular firebender had been lost—

"This calls for a celebration! Steamed sea prunes, on me!" Sokka declared.

"I'll let General Iroh know you're well!" Suki said, pulling out a parchment and pen.

"We've won Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King!" Toph added.

And Katara was swept up with her comrades, brushing away her dream, and the song that woke her from it.

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

_Katara is alright! She woke up just this morning and Sokka was ecstatic. Aang still seems rather troubled, but he hasn't spoken about it, and I wouldn't want to intrude on his thoughts. Zuko is doing alright, as well. He's started eating properly again, and Toph says he's calmed down. Katara will be taking a couple of days at most to recover, and then we will meet you in the designated area to go over plans. Send our love to the troops!_

_- Suki

* * *

_

_._

_._

_.  
_

* * *

"Zuko?" She found him, standing upon a bridge, and she paused away from it until he looked up to see her. She tried for a smile, but he only looked away, expression unseen beneath his hood.

"You shouldn't be up and about yet," he said absently, tearing apart a piece of bread and tossing it down into the frozen river.

Katara ignored him and joined the firebender. "You shouldn't be wasting food," she replied teasingly, peering into his face. "Why do you look so down? Did you not want me to live?" She asked quietly, not wanting to step on his toes but knowing she had to ask.

Zuko glared her way, eyes so fierce she took a step back. "How could you say that? Of course I wanted you to live," he all but snarled, and he withdrew from her shocked look, lobbing the rest of the bread into the sky for a passing bird to steal. "I'm…so happy that you're alright." _Almost too happy._

"You sure don't look it," Katara said mulishly, turning away.

His hand reached out to grab her wrist and before she could say or do anything, he had pulled her into his arms and he held her so protectively that Katara couldn't keep from blushing. "You have no idea how relieved I am that you're alive," he whispered into her hair. "You have no idea, Katara." _No, no, no, no idea, you idiot._

"You were singing," the waterbender said softly, "While I was out. You were singing a song…"

Zuko loosened his grip then, just enough so he could look into her eyes, those wide, blue eyes he had thought he would never see again, and nodded.

She watched him thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side as she fought to recall a memory she knew was somewhere in her mind, but she couldn't seem to bring it to her consciousness and Katara settled for an affectionate smile. "Will you sing it again?" She asked, settling into his embrace and resting her head on his shoulder.

Zuko hesitated for a moment, before leaning back along the bridge railing for support, and nodded, voice husky as he sang her lullaby.

It was when her breath warmed his neck and his stomach dropped that Zuko realized he was in way over his head.

* * *

**comments , questions , critics _?_**

**_also for anyone who forgot,_**

admiral jin is the man sokka sought out in the small village  
where mai intercepted the gang for the first time.  
do you remember that far? haha  
i kind of don't.

-/reread-


	19. Round and Round and Round

**EDIT****:** I apologize for the false update on the next chapter! I had been editing this one and meant to replace it and accidentally added the revised version as chapter 20 instead!

* * *

**THIS** chapter took quite some time to type up in terms of plotting out the events and tying up some loose ends. Seeing as this story itself took me around the span of two years to write, I wouldn't be surprised if there are a dozen plot holes left unfilled, simply because I was plotting crazy and put in so many things and side-goings-on that, returning to the fic after so long, I had forgotten majority of them and just what my intentions were in terms of plot direction. I can honestly tell you that I'm certain my idea for ending this story has been changed multiple times with each turn I come back to writing for this, but now it's set, and I've decided on how the final battle will take place and just what will occur so yay! There's only one chapter after this, and I'm pretty excited because it will be updated by the end of this coming week. I guarantee it. It has to be. Because I'm finally at the end of this story and it took me _so goddamn long!_ It took me _rip-your-hair-out-in-frustration_ long. But it's drawing to an end, at last c: hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think!

**AFTER** this, I'm thinking I'll pick up _Memoirs_, though with some revisions, so that will be my next big project, and hopefully I stay fueled through it. _Sokka's Field Guide II_ will be finished, as well, seeing as I've only one chapter left before that concludes, but my main goal for the meantime is to finish this off.

**ALSO** Zutara Week is here! I'm working on a one-shot/drabbles series called _Agni, Help Me_ in honor of our favorite duo! I'd love it if you could go take a look and let me know what you think C:

* * *

**A C Q U I E S C E N C E **

* * *

_Zuko hesitated for a moment, before leaning back along the bridge railing for support, and nodded, voice husky as he sang her lullaby._

_It was when her breath warmed his neck and his stomach dropped that Zuko realized he was in way over his head._

* * *

_**Chapter XIX**_

**Round and Round and Round**

* * *

_**U**__ncle, Katara is fine now. She just woke up this morning. I've been thinking about what you said. I've thought about everything and I came to realize that you've been right all this time. Every morning I'd meditate and reflect, just as you taught me. I thought about our past and our travels and everything I've learned from you, and I came to the conclusion that I can't stay here. You said that love was the most important and I had no idea what you were talking about. _

_Now I see that without love, life is meaningless, joyless. I don't understand how you could have known that I would grow to love her, maybe a part of me always had, but you were right. You're always right. And to stay here with her, when she is meant for the Avatar, it would be self torture. I think I've faced enough rejection in my life, don't you? _

_I'll face Azula on my own, just as our destinies have always meant for us to do, but this time it won't only be for my honor. It will be for the girl I very nearly lost to _her_ lightning. A life just barely saved. If there's any lesson you've punctuated in our journeys, it's to protect the ones you love. And I intend to, but not here, with them. I might have grown and matured and become less selfish, but I'm still not selfless enough to stay._

_I'm sorry.

* * *

_

A few days had passed in silence as Katara recovered from her injury, the group awkward and distant despite the miracle of her survival. Zuko's abandonment shook everyone up, and Katara in particular felt betrayed twice over, unable to keep from devolving into tears every night as she gingerly practiced her bending with Aang. It was as if she had died a little inside at his disappearance, and she wondered if perhaps he _hadn't_ wanted her to live through the ordeal. It was a fact that plagued the young bender's thoughts, and as Katara drew a stream of silver water from the pond, it wavered out of her control before pouring down into a puddle between her and Aang.

"Katara, are you—?"

"I'm fine," the young woman snapped irritably, scowling at her lack of concentration. She lifted her arms in a jerky movement that caused her to cringe and splash the water down once again. Aang made a move towards her, but she shook her head. "No. I'm fine. It's nothing."

Aang remained in his spot, a few feet away, and nodded, eyes darkening at the pain evident on her face, a pain he knew was far from physical. "Maybe you should rest," he suggested, trying to maintain a pleasant enough air, though every moment he watched her, his heart was breaking.

Katara refused, straightening up and stubbornly called upon the waters so that the pool about their feet rose above their heads in a streamlined crescent. "Don't you think I've had enough rest?" She asked stiffly, waving the stream through the air before freezing it into a gentle slope that melded into the snow. A small bird-like creature hopped around it, attempting to climb up the slide and slipping down every time. Katara watched it try and try again, always standing up to fluff its feathers before hopping up the ice, and then skidding down to the snow. A flick of her wrist turned the entire sculpture into water and drenched the poor little bird-creature. "You're wasting your energy," she said softly, bitterly.

"It was determined," Aang countered, scowling at his comrade with accusing eyes.

"It was doing the impossible," Katara insisted. "That thing could never climb up the ice slope."

"It was a baby trying to get used to its clawed toes. It was practicing. Now you've encouraged it to give up."

Katara turned away, drawing another stream of water from the pond, "Whatever."

A furious gust of wind forced the water from her grasp and the girl gasped, looking at an angry Avatar. He glared at her, with those gray eyes of his that had long lost their life and innocence. "I can't _stand_ this side of you!" He exclaimed in a rage, "You're acting like we've lost the war or something! You're acting as though someone's died! Just because _Zuko's_ not around, it's like you've given up! What's the _matter_ with you? Why are you being like this?"

Her gaze turned glacial at once, and Katara sucked in a breath of air, as though she was slapped. In hindsight, she might as well have been. "How _dare_ you! For your information, my acting this way has nothing to do with Zuko leaving! His betrayal just adds to the pain! Aang, I almost _died—_"

"I know that!" The airbender growled. "Don't you think I was killing myself worrying over you! Over whether or not you'd make it? Don't you think I suffered through those weeks of almost losing you! And even before then I had lost you, and I knew whether or not you woke up I would lose you in some way! Don't you think knowing that _killed_ me inside? But I've got duties as the Avatar, Katara! People are depending on me, and I won't let myself get distracted by a broken heart!"

"_What_ are you talking about?"

Aang's glare intensified and he turned away from the bender he had truly believed belonged to him. "If you haven't realized it yet, you're not as mature as you think you are."

Katara watched as he sprung up into the air and out of sight. "You're the one running away from this argument!" She yelled after him, knowing that, like Zuko, he wouldn't come back.

* * *

_Nephew, it is not I who you should be apologizing to._

Simple words on a simple scroll, yet enough to make the prince's chest ache as though lightning had struck him dead. Zuko frowned, crumpling up the message and tossing it to the side. It was too late to turn back, and he already had his own plans to fulfill.

"Set course due southwest!"

"_Excuse_ me?" An indignant voice replied.

The firebender replied with a sheepish look. "I mean – er, please, if you wouldn't mind," he retracted, albeit grudgingly.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Taihen asked, peering around the warehouse building. It was rundown and dirty, and she wrinkled her nose at being so deep in the outskirts of the nation. She had only ever been within the palace walls, and she had heard bad things about that particular district – nine, was it? Yes, there were a handful of District Nine horror stories, often involving kidnappings and thefts and middle-of-the-night-alley-way murders. She shivered at the thought and couldn't keep from glancing around the relatively bustling streets of seemingly good people.

"Into the desert," Mai said stiffly, eyes scanning the surrounding area for familiar faces or guards. "You need to get out of the Fire Nation, and Ty Lee and I have to meet up with an old friend." She tugged her scarf over her mouth, eyes squinting through the midday sun, and signaled that it was safe to her friend. Two sentinels patrolled the city gates that bordered the Fire Nation and so Ty Lee pranced forward, flipping her hair and batting her lashes and laughing in that coy and flirtatious manner only the acrobat could employ. It was apparent that the guards were immediately taken by her, and carried a casual conversation.

Taihen tugged her scarf closer about her face, feeling strange and out of place. The girl called Mai moved forward, ducking into the shadows and climbing onto the rooftops with enviable agility. The concubine gaped up at her, "Wait—!" But Mai couldn't be seen. "She can't possibly expect me to—"

"Es-cue me, miss?"

The young girl blinked and looked down to where the voice had come from, only to find a little boy with wide golden eyes and dark hair staring up at her. Taihen glanced around, before returning her attention to him. "Er, yes? Can I help you?"

The little villager nodded and pointed up towards a boarded up warehouse window. "Can you help me through there?" He asked with an endearingly innocent voice.

Taihen arched a brow, and crouched low to meet his gaze. "Aren't your parents around, honey?" She asked quietly, and the boy shook his head, showing off an adorable gap-toothed smile.

"Nuh uh! They're at the market! They said I could come here and play! Will you play with me?" He said excitedly, jumping a little at the thought. His eyes brightened and he rushed to the base of the warehouse, reaching up in futile attempts to reach the window ledge that was at least four feet above him. "Usually I have people who play with me, but they left a long time ago and I don't know where they went, and I miss them lots. But it's OK, because you can play with me, right?"

Taihen didn't think she had the heart to turn him down, and nodded, offering a slanted smile. "Maybe, for a few minutes."

"Gee, you're really pretty, you know?" He observed, before running off to grab a cardboard box and drag it beneath the window. "D'you think we can find enough things to put on top of the other so I can reach?"

She couldn't keep from giggling at his antics. "What's in there that you want to see so badly, anyways?"

The little boy stopped his jumping and darting around, and looked at the concubine with wide and hopeful eyes. "The Blue Spirit. He's my hero!"

Taihen had heard of the Blue-masked nuisance. He was no hero, rather a menace, but she hadn't heard of anything as of late about the undercover trouble-maker. She sighed and ruffled his hair, looking around once more for his parents. "I think you can find a better hero than him," she said absently. "And I'm sure you're parents are worried—"

"I did have another hero," the little boy said sadly. "But he just disappeared one day…"

"Taihen!"

The young girl's eyes snapped up to see Mai standing around the warehouse corner, gesturing for her to follow. Apparently the guards were subdued and their escape was clear.

"Taihen, is that your name? It's pretty." The boy said absently, turning to see where the voice had come from and seeing no one in particular. "You're not from around here are—?"

The girl dismissed his query and stooped down to level with her little stranger. "You know what? Heroes never leave. They might go away for awhile, but they'll always be there when you truly need them. Tell me, do you really need this hero of yours? Are you in danger?"

The young boy shook his head.

"Well there you have it. I'm sure he's off helping someone in need right now, and you know what? I bet he'll be coming by to visit you again," she said quietly, with a secret little smile.

The little boy returned her smile with a beaming one of his own. "You really think so?"

"I know so." Taihen tapped his nose and straightened up, "Now I have to go. You return to your parents, too, alright?"

The little boy nodded and bounced away towards the market. "It was nice meeting you, Taihen!"

"You as well…er…"

His head popped around from the other corner. "Daichi!"

"Daichi," Taihen repeated with a soft smile. And she turned to follow Mai, hoping that she hadn't just set that little boy up for further disappointment. She met with the dark-haired girl and blinked in surprise at the two guards whose bodies were slumped over against the outside of the border gates so no civilians could see their state.

"Who was that kid?" Mai demanded, and Taihen just shrugged. "Be careful who you talk to," the older woman said before moving towards the pair of ostrich-horses she managed to steal from a nearby stable. "You ride with Ty Lee," Mai instructed, gesturing to the acrobat already sitting atop the creature. "We're going to drop you off in a town where you will be safe. Bordering the Earth Kingdom, got it?"

Taihen nodded in understanding as she lifted herself into the saddle and grasped whatever she could to keep from falling off as the ostrich-horse buckled into a steady gallop forwards, following Mai's lead.

"Are you sure you know where we're heading, Mai?" Ty Lee called against the summer wind.

The dark-haired woman failed to reply, but she did withdraw a parchment from her robes, unfolding it to briefly scan its contents.

_Round and round our playground we run. Scorching, dying beneath the sun. Duck in the castle, for the breeze we wait, and dance as it carries our castle away._

Though she was aware that she had vital new to deliver, and that her meeting with Zuko was entirely on the pretense of saving the world, she couldn't seem to stifle the flittering deep, deep down in her gut, and the girlish blush that crossed her cheeks whenever her thoughts wandered to the banished prince whom she declared no longer held her heart.

She knew it couldn't ever be the way it once was, whether the war ended in their favor or in disaster, things were far too different, and he had changed far too much to ever go back.

"Round and round and round we go," Mai murmured to herself, scoffing at the idea that things were so simple as going _round and round_.

* * *

"Thanks again for letting me use this war-balloon," Zuko said as he tended to the flame that kept the contraption in the sky. "I still can't believe there was one in the North Pole."

The old man only nodded as he absently whittled a smooth ivory stone. "It was left over during the last Fire Nation raid," he said carefully, hand carving precise lines. "No one else could operate it, we didn't have the means, and so it remained in the slopes, forgotten. Funny you should find it at all – what were you doing so far off from the village? Planned to swim home, did you?"

Zuko looked away, lowering his eyes to the parka he had borrowed and no longer needed, laying at his feet. "I'm not going home," he answered wistfully, pushing away thoughts of where he was going and what he was doing and _why_ he was running away. "I'm…going on a mission."

"A mission," the elderly bender repeated, cynical.

"Yes, a _mission_."

An all too familiar water-whip hit the back of his head and Zuko spun around, half expecting to reprimand Katara, and instantly remembered that he left her behind. He left them all behind.

The older man scoffed, still in his bending stance, and relaxed as he picked up the pendant and dagger, resuming his carving. "Watch your tone. You are but a child. Where are you heading anyway and why is it that you have left without the Avatar? I understand you travel with him?"

"The desert. I have some things that I need to do alone," the prince grumbled in turn, massaging the part of his head that stung and was likely a rash-colored red from the assault. "I was looking for a means of leaving, this war-balloon was just a stroke of luck. The universe isn't usually so accommodating."

"Things been going well lately?" The master inquired, white brows raising.

Zuko shrugged, "Somewhat."

"Then don't you think you're overdue for some sort of catastrophe?"

The firebender scowled at his companion's amused grin but said nothing at first, instead focusing on keeping the flame hot enough to remain airborne. "You could say that I'm in the middle of one, already," he answered, thoughts returning to blue eyes and dark hair and tanned, tanned skin—

"Love is a funny thing," the waterbender continued idly, as he set his dagger aside and held up the pendant he was carving. "It can drive you to do strange and stupid things."

For a moment, the prince thought over what his counterpart said, wondering just what had prompted those words. "You talk just like my uncle," Zuko said at last, opting not to reply.

"Is that a good thing?"

A pause, then, "Yeah. It is." Zuko's gaze was drawn to a hawk fluttering alongside the ship, and he extended an arm for the familiar messenger to descend. A scroll was tied about its leg and he unrolled it.

_Round and round we ran. Rebuild our castle with water and sand. But where in the desert should water be found? We must search, round and round. Round and round, round and round, come and search round and round._

Upon rereading those familiar lyrics, the prince couldn't keep from thinking upon his childhood days, where he and his sister would play on the shores of Ember Island, accompanied by their close friends, Ty Lee and—

"Mai," he breathed out, not audible enough to be heard, and Zuko shook the memories from his head.

"Prince Zuko, I wish you the best of luck with your endeavor."

Having nearly forgotten about his elderly passenger, the prince blinked out of his thoughts and nodded. "Thank you, sir," the firebender replied awkwardly, unsure of what more to say or how to respond, and so he busied himself with untying and retying a rope that didn't need adjusting. A smooth stone was held before him, and he glanced up from his knot work to see the elderly man offering an unmarred pendant.

"Take this, carve upon it what you will, and give it to that special girl," the man instructed.

Zuko took it out of sheer respect rather than interest and carelessly dropped it into his pocket. "Yes, um - sir."

"Please," the old waterbender said with a guarded smile, "call me Master Pakku."

* * *

_I know you are all going to hate me for what I am about to do, but I'm begging you to understand why I need to do it. Azula is my battle to fight. It always has been and always will be. I know that you all want to help, but this is my personal vendetta and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anyone else got hurt because of it. I must face her alone, just as Aang must face my father alone. In the end, no matter who else is around there for support, those final crucial moments involve only two people._

_I've struggled with doing the right thing in the past, I've struggled with finding my own destiny and I realized that you make your own – but this path, this was chosen for me the moment my father usurped the throne. I might not know much about fate, but I do know this: My father was wrong. I wasn't lucky to be born. I was born to restore honor to my Nation. I was born to fix my father's mistakes. Born to fight Azula._

She continued to stare at the message, eyes so focused that the words began to blur and merge together until the entire letter was nothing but splotch of varying shades of black. Katara sighed, closing her eyes until her vision cleared, and then opened them once more, scanning the note and hoping that she had simply missed a post-script somewhere on the bottom that said _'Just kidding!'_ There was none.

And besides, that wasn't quite Zuko's style.

The waterbender frowned then, wondering just when she had become so familiar with his style, and couldn't seem to forget the way the edge of his lips twitched whenever he was about to let out a startlingly loud laugh, or the way he'd pinch the bridge of his nose when he was trying to control his temper, or the way his face and his neck turned red when he was caught under questionable circumstances—

"Stop it," Katara ordered firmly as she set the letter down on her cot. More often than not, her imagination was running away from her and it was just short of maddening. Surely a Master Waterbender could control her own _thoughts. _The young woman had the powerful ocean at her command, and yet silly memories and fantasies managed to escape her wrought iron grip. "He's not worth missing," the waterbender staunchly reminded herself, but to no avail, soon her mind had gone to memories of their undercover mission in the Fire Nation. Late nights and sweet custards and an image and false pretense of some strange, dysfunctional, but somehow perfect family— "_Ugh!_" The bender groaned, lifting her arms up in defeat and dropping down onto the cot, "Why can't I get him out of my head—?"

"Who can't you get out of your head?"

Katara jumped up at once, nearly knocking over a nearby chair in the process. "Suki! I-I was just—"

The warrior gave her friend a pointed look before stepping fully into the small hut. Arms folded across her chest, Suki raised her brows in silent expectation. A moment passed in stifling silence before it became clear that Katara wouldn't confess and Suki finally decided to take the first step. "I'm not blind you know. I've known something has been going on since we found each other in the palace. Now, I haven't said anything because it's none of my business, but you can't possibly think I'm that oblivious that I couldn't see what was going on right in front of me."

"You sound like Aang," the bender grumbled, avoiding her comrade's accusing eyes.

"We could all see it, Katara," Suki insisted gently. "The dynamic between you two apparently changed since your mission. Sokka, as naïve as he can be sometimes, saw it. Toph can sense it. Aang feels it. Even Zuko, for all his hard-headedness and denial realized and understood." She paused then and approached her friend, slumped down once more on the cot. "Tell me, what are you so afraid of?"

"Nothing," Katara retorted irately, "Everything," she continued, still bitter, still frustrated, "I don't _know_."

"I think you're afraid of letting yourself trust him again. I think you're afraid that he'll go ahead and betray that trust," Suki said.

"Well, didn't he?" The waterbender countered, "He up and left us! He abandoned us—!"

"But he didn't _betray_ us. He has something he has to do and we can all understand that, just like we understood your need to square with _your_ demons."

Katara remained silent, refusing to meet her friend's gaze, and Suki sighed, standing from her side.

"You can't change how your heart feels," Suki said carefully, "all you have control over is how you respond to it, and that's what truly affects the people who love you."

And she left the confused and aggravated waterbender in the hut, wondering on just how she felt about the banished Fire Nation prince.

* * *

"Going somewhere, Twinkletoes?"

Aang very nearly leapt out of his own skin at the sudden voice, and he held a hand over his chest, feeling his heart beat hasten tenfold. "Toph! You scared me!"

"I know."

He was willing to bet his glider the earthbender was wearing that typical all-knowing grin.

"I also know what you're up to," Toph continued nonchalantly, not moving from her perch on the slope. She was wrapped up in a parka that was much too large for her small frame, idly playing with her asteroid bracelet.

"Up to?" Aang asked, eyes darting about before shaking his head in a useless manner, "I have no idea what you're talking about! I'm not up to—"

"_Hello_," the earthbender called mockingly, pointing to herself, though her unseeing eyes were fixated on the horizon. "Human lie-detector over here!"

The Avatar sighed. "Alright, you caught me. I'm going away for awhile," he admitted, "but don't worry. I'll be back."

"What are you running from this time?"

"I'm not running from anything."

"Seriously. I _just_ reminded you that I'm a human lie-detector! Geez, Twinkletoes, is your age finally catching up to you?"

Aang frowned and drew himself up, holding his glider, already open, at his side. "What could I be running from?"

Toph chortled. "Oh, I don't know," she answered, almost lazily, "Maybe the big fat in-your-face rejection?" The Avatar didn't reply, and Toph went on, "Maybe you're running because you can't handle the fact that the person you care for doesn't return your feelings. _Oh no, the person I love doesn't love me back!_" She taunted, mimicking a distressed damsel. "Know what, Twinkletoes? I think that if you loved your friend half as much as you think you do, you'd be content just being her friend. Being so close, like family. You realize there will never ever be anyone else who can replace you?" She stood and faced him then, pointing an accusatory finger in his general direction. "_Why_ are you being so _stubborn_ and _selfish_? You're risking you friendship with her acting this way, don't you think it's hurting her inside? She can't force herself to love anyone," the earthbender said, almost sadly, "and no one can _force_ someone to love another person."

Aang watched her, watched her face crumble in such a painful way that he couldn't stop himself asking, "Is this about Sokka?"

But the earthbender only waved it off, calling him a dunderhead for thinking anything so ridiculous, and she was speaking solely about his distancing relations with Katara.

As the sun rose that next morning, the duo still sat together upon the slope, Aang's glider resting in the snow, and Toph closed her eyes, feeling just the slightest hint of warmth, though barely, and sighed. "I know it's hard. Believe me, I know. But to throw away a special friendship you have with someone just because they don't love you the way you want them to is stupid. Because they _do_ love you…just, in _their_ own way. And the best thing you can do for them is to accept that."

Aang was quiet for a moment, and then he nodded, understanding her words, her pain, "You know, Sokka loves you as if you really were his sister."

And that was when Toph cried.

* * *

Zuko spotted the oasis through the thin veil of clouds, and he squinted, lessening the fire intensity so that the balloon began its descent. He recalled when his uncle brought him there when he was younger, after Azula was born. Iroh was the one who had taught him the nursery rhyme, _Sand Castle_, and, eventually, the significance behind the rhyme and the oasis.

"_The song is nothing more than a child's rhyme, but if you listen to the words, you will know just what it means," The general said as he and his nephew sat by the lake. "Round and round our playground we run. Scorching, dying beneath the sun. Duck in the castle, for the breeze we wait, and dance as it carries our castle away._

_Zuko frowned, digging his toes into the sand and wiggling. "It means…we should build a sand castle because it's so hot?"_

_Iroh chuckled, putting the younger boy's frown at ease, and nodded. "Yes, Nephew, that is exactly what it means."_

_And they set to building a sand castle, Iroh whistling the tune._

"_There," Zuko said at last, with as much pride as a four year old could muster._

"_Almost perfect," Iroh commented, removing a tile from his pocket and handing it to the prince. "But I think it needs a door, don't you?"_

_The young firebender brightened up and took the tile, placing it against a flat castle wall, when the entire sculpture came down in grains of loosened sand. "No! Uncle, it fell down!"_

"_It's alright, Zuko, that's part of the song, remember?"_

_The prince scrunched his face in an attempt to reiterate the rhyme. "Round and round we ran. Rebuild our castle with water and sand. But where in the desert should water be found? We must search, round and round. Round and round, round and round, come and search round and round,_" _Zuko finished as he twirled in circles in imitation of the song. And then he blinked, glancing around the oasis. "Round and round and round?" He said slowly, as if piecing together a giant puzzle._

"_That is enough playing in the sand, we must be on our way home, I am sure your mother wants you to spend more time with your little sister."_

"_I don't like Azula. She's always crying," Zuko answered as he stood from the sand and took his uncle's outstretched hand. "Round and round we ran, rebuild our castle…" the prince absently sang. As the airship took flight, the prince took note of the spiraling breeze that swept the sands about the oasis in ripples for miles and miles. "Round and round," he whispered then, noting the rings within rings within rings that stretched into the horizon._

"Round and round…" Zuko said absently as the familiar-looking ripples came into view.

He and Master Pakku prepared for the landing, securing the ropes once more and bracing themselves for the jolt. The war balloon struck sand and dragged on a couple dozen feet before coming to a halt, tilted in the dunes. The balloon itself left behind a deflated trail, and the two clambered out of the basket, burning under the searing desert heat.

"About time," came that usual lazy drawl, and the prince turned to see Mai emerging from a pitched tent. Though most of her face was covered, Zuko could imagine the facets of her face beneath her scarf, the sharp angles, the pale ivory skin, and he frowned just the slightest bit, because he did care for that girl, though he hated to admit it. Their relationship was short-lived, interrupted by war, and he wondered, briefly, if maybe she missed him, too. But he shook those thoughts away as the young woman nodded in casual greeting, her eyes falling upon the elderly man. "You're…not the usual waterbender we see," Mai stated.

Master Pakku gave the girl a cynical look. "Clearly, not; I am Master Pakku, of the Northern Water Tribe—"

"You've come from the North Pole?" Mai said at once, eyes, if possible, widening in shock.

Ty Lee appeared then, walking on her hands, having extricated herself from a nearby hammock hung between two curved trees. "The North Pole," the acrobat repeated, large eyes rounding into saucers. "You should have mentioned that!"

"I'm rather interested in whatever news you've got on Azula's secret weapon," Zuko argued, giving the two young women challenging glares. "That was the reason I was sent to do undercover work in the Fire Nation and I wasn't able to find any sort of secret weapon – where is Azula hiding it? Can it really disable the Avatar State?"

"It's not some machine being kept in the palace," Ty Lee supplied as she righted herself, gracefully touching down on the hot sand. "It's not even really a _thing_ to find."

"Then what _is_ it?" The prince demanded to know, gritting his teeth in agitation.

"It's a plan," Mai said bluntly.

"A _plan_? What kind of plan?"

"The _kind of plan_ that involves messing with the balance and order of the universe," the dark-haired blades master elaborated. "Azula wants to use the powers of the Moon and Ocean spirits to throw the world out of harmony and causing a sort of, mental breakdown during the Avatar State."

Master Pakku was the one who jumped in to fill the holes, "According to ancient lore, the Avatar State takes in all the powers of the Universe. That is an astounding and irrepressible amount of energy to be harnessed within a single medium, with only the stability of nature keeping the raw power itself contained."

"It is the natural order of things that holds the boundless energy tightly wound, because each opposite relies on the other, is drawn to the other. Without one, another cannot exist, ruining the balance," Zuko recited, trying to recall anything and everything Aang mentioned about Avatar-centric philosophies. "When all that energy is just barely held," the prince said, frowning in deep thought, "even the slightest imbalance can cause it to…to…"

"Erupt?" Ty Lee supplied.

The group fell into silence as the realization dawned upon them.

"Azula wants to destroy Tui and La when the Avatar is in his Avatar State," Master Pakku surmised, "Thus causing the medium to lose control…"

"Aang would be consumed by the raw power—!"

"That much energy released could destroy the entire North Pole and cause a ripple through the seas that floods the Earth Kingdom, maybe even reaching the Fire Nation," Mai estimated.

Ty Lee frowned thoughtfully, "But why would Azula want to do that?"

There was a strained silence, then came Zuko's hollow conclusion, "So my father can build a world anew and eliminate the Avatar cycle."

* * *

"Lady Ame, Lady Ame!"

The old woman looked up from her latest patient, scowling at the intrusion of her medical proceedings. "What is it, boy?" She said irritably as a young warrior she recognized as her nephew's grandson bustled into her hut.

He was out of breath and skidded to a halt before her, hands on his knees as he gasped for air. A scroll was grasped in his little hand, and he straightened up, waving it in the healer's face. "Urgent—message! For the—the Avatar!"

Lady Ame rolled her eyes, returning her attention to her whimpering patient. "I'm afraid he's no longer here. The Avatar has already left with his friends on that great beast of his," she said dismissively, "Now leave before I tell your father you were playing about with my medicine oils again."

* * *

_Azula is heading to the North Pole to capture the physical beings of Tui and La! Stay where you are, she'll be coming soon! Take necessary precautions against a Fire Nation raid, and whatever you do, keep Aang from going into the Avatar State!_

"Your orders, General?"

Iroh glanced up from the letter and nodded to the navigator. "Set course due north," he answered, eyes set on the distance, "I hope you packed warmly, Lieutenant. It will be rather cold where we are heading."

* * *

**YAY! ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO!  
- throws confetti -**

**Daichi made a cameo in this chapter  
Because I missed him terribly**

**uhm. hope you guys likes it!**

**did you?**

**C_:_  
**


	20. Full Circle

**EDIT;** For some strange reason, I just realized the chapter uploaded initially did not include the full ending I had written in my word document! D: So I've added it on, sorry for the inconvenience! It's tacked on at the end! The chunk of Zutara interaction that ends the story. and I'm working on the epilogue C:

* * *

**HERE IT IS**. The final chapter of Acquiescence, finally! After how many years and how many months, I've managed to crank out the last three chapters in one fell swoop! About a week, I think, right? The last three meaty plot-filled chapters out in about a week. Dear god, it's possible, but hell if I ever do that again. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! I'm really very proud to have been able to complete it because I am notorious for abandoning fics. Granted, I sure took my time with this, I feel rather accomplished C: A resounding thanks to everyone who offered their support for this story of mine, honestly, if it wasn't for the reviewers who constantly encouraged me to continue, I don't think I would have had the motivation to bother finishing - so a thousand _thank yous _to you all.

**HEADS UP: **this chapter is pretty lengthy, not the longest, mind, maybe second or third longest in this entire fic, but still very long. I hope you enjoy it, and I'm sorry in advance for any grammatical and spelling errors in there, it's one in the morning and I charged through this chapter the entire day, so I'm rather tired, I will revise it when my mind isn't quite so burnt out. But I would appreciate it greatly if you would let me know what you think! Without further ado, here is the long awaited conclusion of the tumultuous journey.

* * *

**A C Q U I E S C E N C E **

* * *

_Iroh glanced up from the letter and nodded to the navigator. "Set course due north," he answered, eyes set on the distance, "I hope you packed warmly, Lieutenant. It will be rather cold where we are heading."_

* * *

_**Chapter XX**_

**Full Circle**

* * *

**U**sually when he traveled through the air so late into the night, it was on a large flying beast with a small collection of various benders and warriors who had forged some sort of dysfunctional family. That night, however, he was upon a cramped war balloon with two childhood friends and an arrogant waterbender. _Well, it's not_ so_ different than usual_, the prince decided, thinking about his company, but the snide mental joke did nothing to lift his mood. Ever since he had left them, he couldn't seem to clear his mind, haunted by thoughts of how the single family he had learned to rely on were likely furious at his abandonment. But it had to be done – he had to face his sister alone. It was just his luck that she was heading to the North Pole in the first place. If he had stayed put, she would have come to him.

Zuko sighed and stood from his uncomfortable perch on the war balloon floor. It shook slightly at the motion, but not enough to wake the others from their sleep. A quick sweep of the small basket told him that the other passengers were just as uncomfortable as he was, curled up on the ground with little leg room and nothing to rest their heads against.

The firebender leaned along the edge of the airborne invention, watching as darkness and the occasional stretch of faded white slipped beneath him. The clouds were thin and far between, but despite that, the moon still appeared rather pale in the sky, as if it was growing weary of keeping a watchful eye on the world full of sins and death and despair—

"Why so glum?"

Zuko tensed at the sudden voice, before relaxing almost instantaneously as he turned to acknowledge Mai. "You're one to talk," he baited childishly, giving her a look she probably couldn't see through the veil of darkness that surrounded them. He could hear the shuffling of her clothes as she stood, extricating herself from the painful position she had fallen asleep in.

The weapons master stretched her arms high over her head, letting out a breathy yawn, before letting her hands drop to her sides in relief. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he answered far too quickly, expecting her question.

Mai studied him for a moment longer than necessary, before exhaling what sounded like a breathy laugh. "You've always been so reclusive," she stated idly, dark eyes following his line of vision and seeing nothing but an expanse of night sky, "whenever people assumed anything was bothering you."

The prince remained silent, amber gaze distant and glazed over in memory. "Yeah," he said at last, after some time had passed, and he peered over at his childhood friend of sorts, the first girl to show an interest in him, the first girl to offer him something like bliss, "But you usually aren't one of the people who cared very much about that stuff anyways."

"No," Mai said with what could be mistaken as a smile, "I wasn't. I didn't care about much."

"You were always just so bored," the firebender continued.

"Nothing interested me," she countered sagely. "The life of a politician's daughter isn't all that exciting. I was bored with life and routine. I guess…I guess that's why I was so inclined in following Azula. As awful and twisted as she was, life was never boring."

A sincere chuckle came from the banished prince, and the sound was strange to his ears. "Life with Azula was anything but boring," he agreed. "She was always so manipulative. Even at the precocious age of – what was it? When she had us falling into that stupid fountain?"

It was Mai's turn to laugh, though it was only the ghost of one. "I don't even remember. She always did things to embarrass me in front of you," the young woman declared.

"You must have liked me a lot, huh?" Zuko asked with something of a grin on his lips.

"If you're looking for me to fluff your ego, you'll only be disappointed," Mai answered cynically, though the amusement was evident in her tone. "Besides, you liked me, too. Why else would Azula plan that idiotic dinner for us?"

Zuko actually laughed at that point, recalling one of the most awkward evenings of his life. "That date? Agni, it was a disaster."

"Well I'm sure glad you enjoyed it," the woman stated dryly.

The firebender's eyes softened, "I enjoyed it enough to ask you on another one."

She didn't reply for a long while, letting the silence speak for her. It was a tender subject but one of mutual understanding – they were only remembering the past, nothing more. When Mai finally spoke again, her voice was hoarse, and Zuko wondered if she had perhaps been crying, but that was silly. He couldn't picture Mai ever crying. "So, why aren't you traveling with them anymore?"

"I…wanted to go after Azula on my own," Zuko answered, carefully choosing his words, "I couldn't drag them into something that involved only me and my sister."

Mai's voice was quiet but distinct, almost devoid of feeling, "I hope you didn't break it to her as harshly as you did with me."

"What? Break what to who?"

She gave him a look then, the affection that could only come from growing up with someone evident in her eyes. "Don't play dumb, Zuko. I know you."

And the firebender said nothing, instead settling his gaze out over the world that was beneath them as he absently fingered the un-carved pendant still sitting in his pocket.

* * *

"It's been awhile since I've been on Kyoshi Island," Suki announced, eyes watching the dim stars pass by overhead. Sokka sat beside her, an arm wrapped carelessly about the warrior's shoulders, and he nodded in his half-sleep state. Suki inclined her head to look upon his tired face, and she smiled, placing a lingering kiss on his temple. "It's even more special now that I have those memories of meeting you."

He managed a slanted smile and Sokka lifted his head, stretching his arms out on both sides. "Yeah, those are some pretty good memories, aren't they?" The swordsman said with the quirky smile that could often be found on his lips.

Somewhere on the other side of the saddle, Katara all but snorted. "Right. I'll never forget the way you looked in that dress," she cracked, immediately followed by the Avatar's laugh from the reigns.

Aang glanced back over at his comrade and offered an unseen smile. "And that make up!"

"Snoozles in make up and a dress?" Toph voiced, a catty grin on her lips, "Well, whatever works for'ya Fan-girl."

"_Fan-girl?_" Suki echoed, sitting up a little straighter at Toph's attempt at a nickname. _"_F-a-n-g-i-r-l?"

The earthbender shrugged, fixing her hands behind her head as her blank eyes stared up at the stars. "I'm still workin' on it, don't worry, Toots."

"_Toots?_" Suki gave her what she hoped was a warning look, though Toph couldn't see it, and settled herself back into Sokka's one-armed embrace. "Well, it'll be nice to be home."

"I just hope that weird foaming-mouth guy isn't there this time," Aang added with a shiver.

"Why not? That guy's great!" The Water Tribe warrior enthused.

"I think—"

But what Katara thought the group would never know, because in that instant a bolt of lightning cracked through the otherwise serene night sky, dangerously close to striking Appa. Static filled the air, causing hair to stand on end, and Aang looked up towards the source. He hadn't felt any turbulence in the sky…surely they would have noticed if a storm was brewing.

Another shot of lightning struck near them, too close for comfort, and too close for a mere coincidence.

"Look!" Sokka called as he removed himself from Suki and pointed in the distance.

Approaching far too quickly for a clean escape to be possible was a shadow in the night, ominous and dangerous, clearly lethal and with the intent to kill. A third bolt of lightning was predictably shot, and Aang veered Appa to the side, nearly tossing the passengers in the saddle overboard and earning a shout from the blind earthbender who had immediately clung to the nearest arm within her reach.

"It's Azula!" Katara exclaimed, not minding the death-grip on her limb.

"It's not just Azula," Sokka said slowly, narrowing his eyes.

Aang's face darkened as he tightened his hold on Appa's reigns. "It's Fire Lord Ozai, too. Everyone, hold on tight!" He ordered as Appa took a nosedive towards the vastness of sea beneath them. Perhaps if they went low enough, the night would hide them from view?

It was not so.

Lightning shot from the hastening airship, bringing the waters up in a torrent towards the sky, an electrified geyser that Katara just barely managed to bend away from them. She let out a hiss of pain at the effort, grabbing at her bandaged abdomen and coercing a distracted look of concern from the Avatar.

"Katara! Are you—"

"Aang, watch out!"

But it was too late and a wave of tumultuous salt water lapped over the flying bison, disorienting the poor beast. The great animal skipped along the water's surface, heaving deep sighs of discomfort, before finally hitting a relatively large iceberg. The airbender urged his friend to take flight once more, but to no avail.

"I think I can try to heal him," Katara began as she picked herself up to stand, but she grimaced, stumbling over Toph in the process.

"Sweetness, you ain't healing anybody in your condition."

"I have to!" The waterbender demanded severely, forcing herself to stand and dismount the fallen bison with effort she couldn't afford to waste. A line of burnt fur met her vision and she gingerly touched the wound where lightning had nearly struck. Steam rose from her water-swathed hands and Katara frowned, knowing that she wouldn't be able to heal him in time. Time, afterall, was not in their favor.

"Katara—" Aang's urgent voice called from the top, "Do your best with Appa, I'll hold them off for as long as I can!"

"No, Aang—!"

He had already leapt into the skies with his glider, leaving the group behind on the glacier.

Though he was a powerful bender, Katara knew that he wouldn't last against the aerial fleet _and_ Ozai and Azula, and so she determinedly didn't watch as he battled them as best he could, instead focusing intently on healing Appa's wound. But as Sokka and Suki gasped in fear and terror and as the heat of the flames drew nearer and nearer, Katara's vision became nothing but a blur as she continued to give her all to healing Appa because somewhere in a small part of her mind, she convinced herself that once Appa was up and flying, they would be able to pull some miraculous get-away they could all laugh about later.

But that was nothing more than an empty hope.

And the Fire Nation, at long last, had the Avatar in their captivity.

* * *

. . .

* * *

"Hi-ya! Take _this!_ And _that!_" The boy proclaimed with vigor as he lunged towards an imaginary opponent, cane held firmly in his little hand. He parried then, even going so far as to roll through the snow and jump back up onto his feet, holding out his hands in a heroic stance. "You won't ever get _me_, Fire Nation scum!" The child declared as he continued to swing the cane, "You'll have to do better than that!"

"Kuni? Kuni! Have you taken my cane again?" An elderly man came wobbling out from a nearby home forged of ice, his expression grumpy and unamused. "Kuni you'd best give that back or I'll have Granny Ame give you a sound scolding!"

The little boy stopped mid lunge and lost his balance, falling into the snow. "Sorry granpa," he said as he stood up and shook the flakes from his hair. "I was using it to fight the firebenders! I'm going to become a warrior, just like you!"

The old man's eyes warmed at the sentiment, and he shook his head, taking the cane back form his grandson. "You've got a lot of training to do before then," he reprimanded. Upon seeing the young boy's pout, he sighed, prodding him in the side with the end of the walking stick. "Well you'll never become a warrior like that – look, I just stabbed you!"

Kuni blinked up at him, eyes wide, and then he took to a dramatic and exaggerated death sequence involving gasping and clutching at his side and titling this way and that in many stumbling steps before finally spinning around on a single foot and falling back onto the snow, spread-eagle, tongue hanging out of his mouth and all.

The old man chuckled then and was about to comment on the boy's superior acting skills, when the smile froze on his face as black snow fell from the sky.

* * *

She was the first to wake, her head spinning with fatigue and a dizzying sensation that caused the waterbender to heave whatever she had eaten out onto the wooden cabin floor. Katara grimaced at the emptying of her stomach, at the stench that overwhelmed her, and leaned her head back, hitting only a wall. "_Ow,_" she groaned in pain, lifting a hand to massage the back of her skull only to realize she was in shackles. The young bender's eyes widened and she was snapped out of that state between dreams and reality. Her gaze swiftly scanned the area about her, and she surmised that everyone was cuffed and dropped in what served as the airship's jail. Katara felt her head spin once more, the dizzying sensation overpowering her, and she leaned to the side yet again.

"K-Katara?" A tired Aang called from somewhere nearby.

The waterbender heard movement to her left, and she glanced over at her friend's direction, just barely seeing the burns and scratches he suffered facing the Fire Lord and his cohort alone. "Aang, are you alright? Did they hurt you badly?" She fussed at once.

Aang only cracked a weary smile. "That's just like you, always worrying about others," he said gently. "I'm fine. From what I've gathered, they want me alive – at least until we reach the North Pole." He stared at her then, taking in the worry lines in her face, the bags beneath her eyes, the pallid complexion that usually burned with life, and frowned. "But you were still recovering from your injury, you shouldn't have given so much energy trying to heal Appa—"

"I'm sorry," the waterbender blurted out suddenly, dry, cracked lips barely able to form the words. "I'm sorry, Aang." She could see it in his eyes, the sadness and disappointment and anger and she could see the way he had changed from the childish and carefree monk she freed from the iceberg however many years ago. Or was it years? No, it couldn't be, her perception of time was slipping. Regardless, it had certainly felt like years. As though their first encounter was another era entirely…

So much had happened.

So much had changed.

"It's fine," Aang whispered, voice husky with his exhaustion, "I know." And his eyes softened as they looked upon her, truly looked upon her in a way he had avoided doing for weeks. He had fallen in love with her face when he first woke from his frozen captivity, and the face he watched with a guarded heart in that moment bore little semblance to that Water Tribe girl in his memory.

Katara had grown in the short time he knew her, grown into a waterbending master, into a young woman who knew her head and her heart and who helped ease his burden of saving the world. She taught him about facing his past and to take responsibility. She taught him what it was like to have a family, to feel the way only a woman could make him feel, and he would always love her for everything she did rather than hate her for the little she couldn't.

"I…" the waterbender hesitated, lower lip trembling as her vision blurred in that oh-so familiar way it often did lately, "…wasn't talking about Appa."

A smile slanted along the Avatar's lips and he wished he could catch the tears washing down his teacher's cheeks as he whispered a sincere, "I know."

* * *

Ozai's golden eyes flash as he sets foot upon the North Pole, wearing a sickening grin of malicious intent. According to Admiral Zhao's reports, the beings of the Moon and Ocean were contained in living mediums, two koi fish happily swimming in a pond. With a gesture of his hand, the Fire Lord ordered his men to charge the fortress of ice that separated him from the Northern Water Tribe's isolated village.

"This is so anti-climactic," drawled Azula, standing at his right. Her gaze was bored, overly displeased at how easily the wall of ice that would be the tribe's first defense fell so easily. "Nothing in comparison to the Siege of Ba Sing Se."

Her father scoffed, haughty expression hardening. "This is but the first part, Azula. For greatness, you must wait."

The princess bristled slightly, but not enough to disrespect her Lord. "Shall I fetch the Avatar?"

"Not yet," Ozai declared darkly as he watched the walls burn down and his men rampage into the village. "I will not risk his release until I have the spirits before me." He took a step towards the village, eyes sweeping the chaos that welcomed the morning. What an opportune time for their advancements. The Fire Lord felt his power swell with the sunrise, and he stretches his arms out before him, decanting the cloak that hook onto his shoulders so that the fabric fell along the snow – a mark of the coming defeat of the Northern Water Tribe.

"Father," Azula prompted, kneeling down on a single knee, "What would you have me do?"

"Stay here with the ship," the man ordered, "Make sure the Avatar and his friends remain in our captivity until the time is right."

The princess' head snapped up at his demand, eyes widening slightly in rage and shock. "What? You will have me stay back as you conquer this peasant village?" Azula exclaimed, immediately standing from her respectful pose. "I am the one who helped you hatch this plan! I should be there when it happens! You _must_ take me with you, how _dare_ you treat me like-like _Zuko_—!"

"_Azula!_" Her father barked, instantly silencing her tirade. "You are the only one I can entrust to keep a vigilant eye on the Avatar. His escape would be dire to the situation – there is no one else I can rely on to make sure this plan is executed the way we have designed."

The princess did not reply, instead fixating her angry gaze elsewhere.

"Have I been mistaken all this time to put such trust and hope into my youngest child?"

"No!" Azula said at once, looking up at her father, defeated. She nodded curtly, bowing in respect. "I will do my best, Father."

"Just as expected of my favorite child."

Azula watched as he disappeared into the village, for once in her life feeling truly and utterly alone.

Once he was gone, she stood, shaking whatever signs of weakness she could feel etched into her face, and turned to command whatever was left of the soldiers they had brought with them. "You three – make certain the Avatar and his friends are guarded every second. You five – follow my father into the village. Make certain he is not deterred from finding the Spirits."

"Yes, Princess," the men saluted before disbanding to do her bidding.

Azula contented herself with the power to demand and be obeyed before idly smoothing a strand of her hair and being escorted back aboard the airship to follow her father's orders.

"I wonder what it feels like," she wondered for a moment as she found her way below deck and walked along the narrow passage towards the makeshift dungeon. "To feel absolute desertion and hopelessness." She paused before a large iron door, waiting for her guards to open it. "Not that I'll ever be subjected to it," the princess continued, flattening out a wrinkle in her attire, "Just that I see it so often in the eyes I vanquish." To who she was talking was unclear, and so the soldiers remained silent as she entered the cell, cool gaze eyeing her prisoners, a sadistic smile crossing her features, "Good morning."

Katara's eyes squinted at the sudden light flooding through the open door, and she scowled at the intruder, eyes fierce. "What do you want?"

Azula's piercing gaze fell upon the insolent waterbender peasant, and she arched a single arrogant brow. "A princess can't pay her guest of honor a simple visit?" Her tone betrayed the cynicism evident in her eyes, lacquered with pride only those born into royalty could ever hope to master.

"_This_ his how you treat your special guests?" Came Suki's sarcastic remark from the other side of the room.

"You will know your place," the firebender barked, golden eyes flashing with rage, and then she calmed, face composed once more. Azula _tsk-_ed as she entered the cabin, her steps the only sound save the occasional clink of metal shackles. She surveyed her prisoners with belittling eyes, almost bored in having to baby sit. "I must admit, I was rather disappointed," Azula mentioned idly as she neared the Avatar, "I was sincerely looking forward to a family reunion."

"Zuko is more a part of _our_ family, than he is _yours_," Aang declared, meeting her intimidating glower.

Azula's eyebrows furrowed just slightly, something behind her eyes flashing at the Avatar's words. "Well I suppose that old proverb is right, remain among the hen-pigs and you will join them in the mud—"

The airship shook, a reverberating thud cracking the wooden ceiling above them. The princess stumbled backwards, the arms of a guard steadying her at once, and she glared fiercely up at the cracked ceiling where water trickled down in rivulets, steadily rushing faster and faster through the splintered wood. "Find out what that is!" She growled, tearing away from her consort's hold. "Well? _Go!_"

But before the guards could leave, the airship shook once again, a heavy cracking sound letting everyone know it had split in various places, the wood weak under whatever power struck it. Azula let out an irritated shout before dashing out of the cell and towards the deck. A deep gap destroyed the area down the middle and her eyes searched the skies for the source—

A massive wave emerged from the ocean, engulfing the airships on the shore and taking them out to sea with the fierce undertow. Azula was thrust into darkness, wrapped up in unfamiliar cold that terrified her, and then she surfaced, shooting from the foamy seas with a blast of her fire to propel her out of the icy grave. The main ship was sinking, and she grasped onto the mast, golden eyes zeroing in on a war balloon passing by overhead, upon which her brother met her challenging gaze.

Inhaling, Azula swung her arms in a practiced and rigid arc, guiding her chi in and through her body, concentrating everything to the heightened heat of her fire, and directed a bolt of lightning at the war balloon, sending it crashing down into the snow. The attendants scrambled from the wreckage, seemingly unharmed, thanks to a waterbender they had among them, and she frowned, recognizing the two females in his party.

"Traitors among traitors, why am I not surprised?" She leered, leaping onto the island with ease to land before her so-called friends.

"I'm the one you'll be fighting today," Zuko proclaimed, clenching his fists as he stared down the bane of his existence.

"Actually, you're not. Though I was disappointed to find that you were no longer part of the Avatar group. What happened, Zuzu?" Azula taunted, lips curling into a wicked smile, "Did they banish you, too?"

* * *

The moment Azula left, Suki broke free of her cuffs and lunged at the nearest guard, legs wrapping skillfully about his neck and bringing him down in one fell swoop. Her eyes narrowed as another made a move towards her and she ducked with unmatched grace, foot sliding in his direction, and she stretched her arms out, one hand placed where his next step landed, and with the moment of her swing, she flipped him up into the air before knocking him to the side with a succeeding kick, sending the soldier crashing into the base pillar. The roof came crashing down on them then, barricading the other guards outside of the cell, and allowing a ceiling escape for the captives.

"Hurry!" She said of the rest of the group, gesturing for them to climb up the falling planks. Suki replaced the pin she used to pick her lock into her hair and only grinned as Sokka announced how wonderful she was. "You can shower me with compliments when our lives aren't in danger," the Kyoshi Warrior answered admirably.

Water rushed down into the cell, quickly flood the area and challenging the strength of the walls and doors. The creaking of wood threatening to snap reached their ears, and Aang leapt into the air with a sharp breeze, bending the coming wave away. "This way!" He called to his friends as he waved his bound arms in his general direction.

Katara scowled down at her cuffs and took in a deep breath, exhaling over the suffocating metal. It froze in ice, and, without a second's hesitation, she smashed the metal bracelets against the nearest stable pillar, shattering her bindings. Massaging her wrists, the waterbender took command of the flood, the current rushing down into the chambers and sinking the ship. She lifted her arms, creating a cascading silver staircase for everyone to climb up towards the deck. "Come on, we have to go!" She called, doing her best to hold the firmness and shape of her creation.

"What about you?" Aang yelled over the crashing waves.

Water sprinkled overboard, sending a drizzle down to the lower decks.

"I'll be fine!" The Water Tribe girl bellowed over the chaos, straining herself to let her friends reach the top deck. Her mind worked quickly as she formed a plan for her own escape – maintaining the stairs was a feat in itself, and she had to focus solely on that lest it melt away in seconds. Perhaps she could ride an upwards geyser free? The mere thought of expending that much effort made her cringe, she wasn't sure she was up to something so ambitious in her condition. "Just—just go!"

The Avatar did so, promising to come back for her, and Katara watched as her friends disappeared up above. A wave crashed down over the opening and she lost control of her frozen staircase, the water plummeting her down into the dungeon once again.

Suki released the others from their cuffs and they looked around, wading through the currents that drowned the air ship. "Look!" She exclaimed, seeing the war balloon crash and Zuko scramble from the remains.

"I'll go get help!" Aang called as he lifted himself into the air with a gust of wind, "You guys go find Appa!"

Zuko felt his rage building, and he expelled a furious breath of fire, one his sister dodged with ease. "What have you done with the Avatar—?"

"_Zuko!_"

"Aang!" The prince's eyes lifted just slightly to see the airbender touching down on the shore. "Aang! My Father wants to destroy the koi fish in the spirit oasis—!"

"The others are trapped on the sinking airship—_What!_" The monk exclaimed in terror as Zuko's words registered in his mind, "I'll go after Fire Lord Ozai!" He said with conviction, eyes darkening at the thought, and he hurried into the village, hoping he wasn't too late.

"I'll take care of Azula," the firebender agreed, fixing his sister with a startlingly furious glare. "Mai, Ty Lee, do what you can to help the others on the ship."

Ty Lee made to protest, but Mai's voice interjected. "Right, let's go." With Master Pakku's help, they followed the frozen surface of the ocean towards the sinking airborne vessel.

"Are you sure you want to fight me, Zuzu?" Azula baited, eyeing her brother with obvious disdain, "After all, you know that every time we fight, the outcome is always the same."

Zuko did a sweeping motion with his arms, lunging forward to deliver a fiery blow towards his only sibling. "Don't call me that!"

She evaded, of course, with relative ease, letting out a mocking laugh as the flames died down. "Your aim really is quite terrible. I bet father will having an easy time against the Avatar – the poor boy learned from you, am I right?"

"Shut up!" The prince roared, letting out a breath of fire.

"Oh, bravo," Azula taunted, having elegantly avoided that assault as well, "That was quite a display of fire-breathing. Maybe you and Ty Lee could go join the circus together? What an act you two would be," the princess continued, "of course, that Water Tribe peasant you seem so taken with could get jealous."

Zuko tensed, sparing no mercy, and went on a rampage, blowing fire here, there, everywhere, at his sister, at her beautiful laughing face. They engaged in a dance of fire and lightning. Loud claps of thunder, scorching blazes. The prince stepped back, swiftly moving through the Dancing Dragons motions, jetting off a spectrum of colors, the fires licking towards their target.

And they wrapped about her, his sister, eating at her flesh, her clothes, her hair.

When it died, he only saw ashes, and he let his arms drop to his sides.

"That was very pretty, Zuzu."

Zuko swiveled around to see Azula's crouched down in the snow, evading just in time, it seemed. Her clothes were singed, her hair had come undone, and there were scratches marring her perfect face, but she was alive.

"Did you learn that from Uncle, too?"

He took a threatening step forward, "No, I learned it from the firebending masters!"

A snarl crossed the usually composed princess' face. "_I _am a firebending master!" She exclaimed, straightening into a pose he recognized immediately. Azula drew her fingers to her chest, eyes narrowed in Zuko's direction, "You could learn a thing or two from _me_!" And she went through the motions swiftly before fixing her arm, her fingers, in his direction.

Zuko prepared himself for the bolt, watching her movements, but something was off – her target. His eyes followed the crackling blue beam that escaped her control and he raced the static light, shoving its intended target back towards shores as he intercepted the lightning through one arm and felt its power, its heat, circulate through his gut before being redirected towards its conjurer.

Azula leapt out of her own attack's destruction and let out a wail of frustration, gaze furious at Zuko's smug expression. "Twice you've saved this girl's life! What is a peasant's blood to you?"

Katara disregarded Master Pakku's concern as he helped her up, instead focusing on the sibling rivalry before her, and for a moment she wanted to wait, to hear the prince's answer. What _was_ her life to him? But she knew it would be foolish to risk valuable time, and she broke free of the elder's supportive hold, splashing onto the shores once again. "Zuko!" Called her voice, hoarse from the salt water and the gasping for a breath, "Zuko—you have to go after Aang! He'll need your help!"

Zuko could feel Katara's gaze on him, but he kept his gaze on his conniving sister as he nodded. "Promise me—promise you'll be careful," he ordered, and though his voice was commanding and firm, the undertones spoke of a sincerity that made the waterbender tense.

Katara fixed her eyes onto Azula, and nodded. "Only if you promise to be careful," she just barely whispered, recalling the previous times she spoke those words to an innocent and hopeful boy with carefree gray eyes and a heart of understanding and acceptance and love.

Zuko chanced the quickest of glances back at her, before taking off into the village.

"Foolish peasant," Azula spat, "You think you can match me?"

"Maybe if I was in better condition," Katara replied coolly as she waded onto the icy shore, water dripping from her, weighing her down and yet revitalizing her. The salt water of the ocean gave her life, gave her a new hope – it felt _right_ to be surrounded by her element, and her confidence flared through her aura. "But no, not alone, not like this."

"Which is why she's got us," Toph announced as she skidded to a halt along the frozen overpass.

Suki, after shaking off the trembling earthbender's iron grip, withdrew her weapons and took on a defensive stance, "We can take you."

An injured Appa slid along the icy bridge with Master Pakku's help, just behind Mai and Ty Lee who were clearly eager to lend their help.

Azula scoffed. "Hm. Two Water Tribe peasants, a washed up warrior, two traitors, an old geezer and an earthbender without _earth_. Whatever will I do?"

"Surrender!" Katara declared.

The princess tapped a finger to her lips in mock thought. "Mm…no thanks."

And she disappeared into the village with the others on her trail.

* * *

"At last," the Fire Lord said as he approached the pond, eyes greedily watching the two spirits swimming in lazy circles, "At _last_ I have you." A sinister glimmer shone in his golden eyes, eyes that were hardened and fierce, burning without emotion, without conscience. Ozai stooped to remove the spirits from their home, when a large gust of wind sent him flying backwards.

The Avatar's young voice echoed within the cavern, "Leave them alone!"

The Fire Lord watched Aang approach, and prepared to engage the boy in battle. "I have not signaled Azula to set you free!"

"We escaped," was the airbender's sharp reply. "You will not touch the physical beings of Tui and La!" Aang commanded with authority he rarely employed, "It will disrupt the balance of the world! You need to maintain harmony! It's what is best for everyone, including the Fire Nation!"

Ozai only rolled his eyes and sent a charging blast of searing heat the monk's way. "You are foolish to think peace can ever exist in a world filled with people who hate!" And he charged at the Avatar, blasting burning pillars at his elemental incarnate. "What does a mere _boy_ know about what is best!"

"I know because I have seen what it will come to when the universe is thrown out of balance!" Aang pleaded, swirling his glider to dissipate the flares. And he jumped into the air impossibly high, bringing down his glider to send a growing wave of wind to slice towards the Fire Lord.

He dodged, and the attack hit the cavern wall, causing it to tremble and snow to fall from the cave ceiling.

"The world does not need your childish views on life!" Ozai exclaimed, coming at the Avatar with merciless rage, "The world does not _need_ your meddling!"

Aang did his best to duck and dodge, meeting fire with air, but the Fire Lord was too forceful and too fast, and the airbender found himself staring down a whip of flames, roaring from above him. He rolled to the side, scrambling to his feet, and he propelled high above the Fire Lord, only to see a pillar of crackling blazes charging upwards like the aftermath of an explosion. The Avatar melted into cave wall, bending the stone as a shield, and he blasted through it from sheer force of Ozai's assault, feeling the cool wintry air outside.

Not far off Azula spotted the Avatar's ascent and her father's pursuit, and she stopped her running, swiveling around to meet her challengers head on. "It's time!" She said with manic glee as she directed a bolt of lightning the waterbender's way.

Katara, having just turned a corner in her chase, gasped at the prickling sensations that crept along the back of her neck and tried her best to stop her run, but the ice beneath her feet were against her and she skidded towards the blaze. Lifting her hands, she rose the frozen street to absorb the blast, and the impact shattered it, sending the bender flying through the air and knocking into a nearby roof.

"Katara!" Came Sokka's worried voice.

Aang's eyes snapped to the bellow to see the waterbender slipping from the rooftops, and panic gripped him as she slid down to the ground, only to be caught by a mound of snow commanded by Master Pakku.

"Didn't anyone every tell you to keep your eyes on your target?" Ozai jeered, landing a fiery punch on the Avatar.

A hiss of pain escaped the airbender's lips as he flew to the side and into a particularly tall frozen building, the ice behind him crackling with the blow. His vision swam before him and he could see three fading Fire Lords launching towards him. Aang gasped and took the ice behind him, sending it in a barrage of frozen daggers.

Ozai conjured a flame wall to melt the blades and immediately followed with whip-like tentacles burning and scorching.

"_Sokka, look out!_"

Aang couldn't help but look at the battle going on below, and he felt the searing heat of fire come dangerously close to his face. He leaned back, watching the whip slice just above him, and he touched down onto the icy streets of the village, mind in chaos.

"_Katara!_"

He could hear them fighting Azula, but there was panic and fear in their shouts, and the airbender couldn't help but wonder how they were doing.

"_NO!_"

It didn't sound good.

Aang swirled the air around him and met the Fire Lord in the sky, blow for blow, an exchange of fire for air, but he made the mistake of letting his eyes wander to the confrontation with Azula and he watched as Katara took a fiery assault, the flames enveloping her form. It happened in slow motion, the firebender danced through familiar gestures, targeting _Katara_, and _Katara_ was too slow and she…and she—

He blacked out then, losing himself to the overpowering force of all the Avatars past and future.

* * *

The blaze melted through her shield of ice and Katara let out a yell of pain as her arm was singed as it died down. She grimaced, feeling the stinging sensation on her forearm, and Sokka rushed towards her, intent to help, but Azula's calculating eyes shifted to the warrior and she fixed towards attack him. She extended her arm but found that nothing happened.

Azula gasped as the limb jutted into the air, out of her control, before snapping at her side. "What—what is this?" She shrieked in confusion. Her legs moved of their own accord as they buckled beneath her wait, dropping her to her knees. "What's going on—?" Breath caught in her throat, the princess found she could no longer speak, everything about her body was rigid and foreign, and Azula's eyes widened as she looked upon the waterbender, bent low and graceful, fingers stretched, body poised.

Katara straightened up and so did the fire princess, stiff as board and unable to move, unable to speak, only her eyes gave away that she held some control over herself, golden eyes darting this way and that, fear written within them.

As if on cue, Ty Lee took the opportunity to approach the still princess and, with a few precise pressure points, reduces the firebender to nothing but a limp pile of limbs.

"What-what the hell did that with do to me!" Azula exclaimed, lifting her head from the snow, furious and raging and desperate. "You monster! You monster, what kind of witch-craft did you do!"

It was Mai who met the princess' frantic eyes. "You are mistaken, Azula," she answered cryptically, "You're the monster here."

* * *

"Yes, _yes!_" Ozai yelled in triumph as his opponents eyes shone with power, with rage. The Fire Lord immediately returned to the spirit oasis, knowing he had little time before the Avatar would come after him in all his universal powered glory. Touching down onto the snow, he reached to grab one of the koi fish only to dodge a blast of fire.

"You realize the repercussions would reach you, too! You'd be taken out by the escaped energy!" Zuko declared, finally finding his father.

"I am never without a plan, Zuko," Ozai sneered. "A good Fire Lord is always a step ahead!" And he directed a blaze at the pond, setting it aflame, destroying the plants, polluting the water, and the fish swam in a frenzied circle, attempting to escape the darkness that clouded their clear home.

Zuko's eyes darted to the glowing figure of his friend, his comrade, and the sudden light emerging in waves from his form. "_No!_"

Aang's body convulsed as the unstable power within him pulsated, rapidly threatening to escape the containment of its medium. Raw cosmic energy managed to seep through his control, dealing fatal damage to the village below. The radiant figure fixed its sights onto Ozai, whose confident sneer froze on his face as those threatening glowing eyes sought its target.

"_Aang!_" The prince exclaimed as the Avatar landed by the pond, pure energy radiating, lashing out like vicious serpents, starving for prey.

Ozai stumbled in his attempt to escape, but one of the cosmic whips struck him, and he let out a ear-shattering scream at the pain, at the electrifying intensity, before falling to his knees.

Zuko tensed, unsure of what to do. "Aang!" He could see his best friend encased in the power that was far too much for his physical body, and avoided a lash of raw cosmic energy. _Too much power, dangerous and lethal_, the prince thought, doing his best to avoid the random releases of electrifying pulses, _like lightning_. And just like that, with that simple thought in mind, Zuko rushed forward within the gravitating, static radiations emanating from the Avatar, he found himself overwhelmed with the unforgiving cosmic entities, crushing his foreign and unsuspecting form, and he let out a yell muffled only by the loud crackling in his ears.

He ignored the pain, the impossible searing, burning white heat, and focused on the motions his uncle taught him, the motions he went over with Katara, and felt the energy consuming his body follow the path of his chi, in through one arm – but the route escaped him and Zuko lost all perceptions of time and thought and logical judgement. There was only the existence of his physical state but even that was no longer significant in the grand scheme of things.

Blackness welcomed him, and, for the first time in many months, Zuko felt at peace.

* * *

"Our course, Fire Lord Ozai?"

The fallen king winced as he was lain on the cot, expert medics tending to his charred flesh. Being hit by that boundless energy was unlike anything else he had ever experienced, and for a moment that seemed to stretch for years and years, he felt only darkness and vast space, as though he ceased living and was one with the universe. It was a strange sensation, that he was stripped of his physical body, of his memories and emotions and thoughts and goals and ambitions, he was simple _there_, insignificant and forgotten. Ozai grimaced, lashing out at the medic who had prodded at the tender burn mark left by the blast.

"Away," the injured man demanded, absently whipping his hand through the air as his vision deceived him. "Just, away from the North Pole, far, far away!"

There were doubles, triples, of the medic tending to him, and the Fire Lord shook his head in an attempt to clear it. A strange dull roaring sound came from deep within his ears, a buzz that refused to leave him be, and he blinked at the soldier commandeering the escape air ship.

"What?" He asked, having seen the man's mouth move but hearing nothing.

"Another air ship is coming our way," the soldier repeated. "Bearing the Fire Nation crest."

"That can't be right, I never sent word for backup," Ozai said tiredly.

"What shall we do?"

But the firebender had lost consciousness, allowing the air ship led by General Iroh to capture the escape vessel and detain Fire Lord Ozai at last.

* * *

"Zuko!"

He hadn't heard her, lost in the cosmic powers that ensconced his form. Katara was breathing heavily, mind spinning with the way she pushed herself to find both him and Aang. The mad dash she made through the warring village to the spirit oasis took its toll on her, but she had no time to rest. Aang was on the ground, body convulsing, and Mai's words when the woman found them on the sinking airship echoed in the back of her head, _the cosmic energy will overpower him, consume him, and he will lose himself._

"No," Katara barely murmured at the thought, and then more forcefully, "_No!_"

Zuko seemed frozen in his movements, a pose she recognized in their training together, and she understood at once what he had attempted. She frowned, hesitating for just a moment, before nearing him and letting the powers of the universe swallow her whole.

_The prince was surprised to see here, to feel her there, and he watched her through confused and weary eyes, "Katara…?" _

At first it was painful and she screamed bloody murder, but she couldn't hear her own voice, and Zuko's eyes snapped open with life at the sound she did not hear. Katara wondered if she was crying, she probably was, though her face could feel nothing – only numbness that was neither welcome nor threatening. The electrifying burns seared her form, and she felt her breaths being stolen away, but the determined look in Zuko's eyes kept her from losing her mind, just as her presence managed to return him to reality.

"_Zuko…" Katara begged, wanting so terribly to reach out to him and finding that it was impossible. "I'm here now, you don't have to help him alone."_

All the cosmic energy of the universe was shared three ways, with the Avatar as the battered medium, and she and Zuko served as the outlet, perhaps rescuing Aang from his fate, if they could properly redirect it. They worked together, fighting through the fatigue, moving in rhythm, like mirror images, through the motions they had practiced to perfection. It was difficult, as though they were surrounded by sand, and they pushed through the compressions that wanted so terribly to crush them, redirecting whatever of the raw power they could.

And somewhere in a faint memory lingering in the backs of their minds, the spirit oasis continued to burn, Tui and La frantically swimming in a vain attempt to escape the flames.

* * *

_Aang found himself in a state of emptiness, where only light surrounded him. Nothing but a clean vastness stretched for miles in every direction, and his gaze wandered along the possible paths. Up, down, left, right, front, back – it was all the same. Nothingness greeted his desperate eyes._

"_Avatar Aang," a voice beckoned. A comforting and familiar voice that calmed the young monk's nerves._

_A relieved smile broke across his face. "Avatar Roku! Thank the Spirits you're here. Where am I? The Spirit World? Why is there nothing around me? Why have I been brought here?" The smile wavered, "I'm not…dead…?"_

_The previous Avatar shook his head then, and reached out a hand. "No, young Avatar. You are merely in a state of nonexistence," he explained. "Take my hand and I will show you."_

_Aang did so and immediately a rushing wind circled around them, and the appeared above the North Pole, where the battle still waged, Fire Nation against the rest of the world. "Where am I? Am I in the Avatar State? Am I still fighting Fire Lord Ozai?"_

"_Fire Lord Ozai has been struck by unsuppressed spiritual energy," Avatar Roku revealed. "The raw power of such an exposure will drive him mad…"_

"_But then…where am I?" Aang asked, peering down at the scene below him._

"_You, young Avatar, are being consumed by the cosmic energy. Fire Lord Ozai had thrown the universe out of balance and the power contained in your body has become disrupted. It will destroy you."_

_The airbender gasped, eyes wide with the news. "Is it…is it my time…?"_

_Avatar Roku paused for a moment, watching his reincarnation with a guarded stare, before shaking his head and gesturing towards the Spirit Oasis where two figures joined him in the static light. "Your friends are trying their best to save you."_

"_What's it matter?" Aang replied, turning away, "I've already lost Katara."_

"_Both she and the Fire Prince are sacrificing their lives to save you."_

"_Will they…" the airbender hesitated, guilt suddenly washing over him, "…will they live?" Avatar Roku's silence answered the question, and Aang shook his head in denial. "No," he said with fierce distress, "No, there must be something I can do!"_

_The previous Avatar nodded and, with a motion of his hand through the air, returned Aang to a moment in his past where he escaped the responsibilities of his destiny. The monk's face fell at the familiar sight, the cave with Guru Pathik, the pools of water linked with blocked channels._

_He understood._

"_I must properly open the last and final chakra," Aang declared, "To fully control the Avatar State."_

_Avatar Roku gave him a hopeful look. "I can take you back to that moment, but your time is running out. If you do not managed to release your earthly attachments and unlock the Thought Chakra, your body will be engulfed by the energy you cannot control, and you will take not only your life, nor your friends' lives, but the blast will send a shock through the world."_

_The airbender folded his legs beneath him and took in a deep and steadying breath. "I can do it," he said firmly, though whether his conviction was founded on desperation or confidence neither he nor Avatar Roku could be sure._

_As he meditated through the various chakras, Avatar Roku disappeared, and he found himself, once more, at the seventh chakra. It was her face that surrounded him then – that beautiful and hopeful bright face when she first released him from his frozen captivity, her face as she laughed and smiled and cried for him, her face as she saved him and loved him and the way she looked in her element, composed and beautiful and _real.

_Aang scowled as he closed his eyes, reluctant to release her, to give her up, and he held on to the memories of her, to the smiles and looks she'd given him. The kisses the hugs, the tears, the pride and love swelling between them. _

_And then another face entered the perfection, disrupting the dream and sending ripples of reality all around him – the face of the enemy, his friend, his teacher. And he saw the looks Katara once gave him, given to someone else, the smiles she reserved for him alone, bestowed upon someone else, and Aang clenched his fists upon his knees, nails digging into his flesh, and as much as it destroyed him, tore him apart, as much as it shattered his heart, the young airbender knew she was not his to keep, and he let her go, released her from his mind, from his dreams and his selfishness._

_She was not his forever girl…_

"_Goodbye…Katara," he murmured as he felt the powers of the universe charge him, sift through him, empower him, and Aang watched as she walked away, slipped through his fingers, and everything around him fading to a peaceful and welcoming blackness._

* * *

. . .

* * *

He awoke in the North Pole's medical hut to bleary-eyed vision, scowling at the brightness that blinded him. Wincing at the unwelcome light, he lifted an arm with obvious strain, a stinging sensation tingling down his spine.

"You're awake!" A relieved voice greeted. "We thought you were done for!"

Aang recognized that voice, and he kept his eyes tightly shut, but tried for a tired smile. "Yeah, well, you know…saving the world is pretty tiring. I think it warrants some sleeping in," he said in jest, risking a peek at the firebender. He saw his friend's blurry face, concern written in his expression, and Aang grinned, "Hey, Zuko. Avatar here."

And the firebender took his friend into an embrace, one that Aang returned with equal sincerity.

"So…how is she?"

Zuko moved away and instantly knew to whom the airbender was referring. His golden eyes lowered at the mention of her. "She's…she's still resting. She hasn't woken up yet, but they say it's because she was injured before and that her heart beat is still strong."

"How long have I been out?" Aang asked, feeling the kinks in his joints.

"About a week," the firebender answered, "I just came-to a few days ago. The others will be glad to know you're awake." Zuko stood from the stool then, making to go, "They've been so worried—"

"Thank you," the Avatar said suddenly, meeting his counterpart's gaze. "For…what you did."

"It wasn't just me, it was Katara, too," Zuko insisted timidly, rubbing the back of his neck. "If it wasn't for her, I would have been done for."

The airbender gave him a weak smile. "I know. I've always known she would do anything to save me. She loves me. And…and I love her…like a—a _sister_. We are family." Aang's words registered in the firebender's mind, and Zuko's amber gaze widened at the realization. "But you, you had no obligation to risk your life for me…"

The no-longer banished prince returned Aang's smile with a reserved one of his own, though the happiness behind it was overflowing. "What are you talking about, Twinkletoes? We're family, too."

And he left to alert the others of the Avatar's awakening.

* * *

The portrait hung in the grand chambers. Painted of the finest artist in the Fire Nation and encased a deep mahogany frame with gold leaf detail. The portrait of his family, broken and destroyed. His eyes found his mother, beautiful and elegant just as in his memory. Always providing him with comfort and love, a beacon, a sanctuary. Her hand rested upon his shoulder, protective and adoring, and he smiled faintly at the recollection of her hand sitting there, the feel, the weight, the warmth. Beside him was his sister, looking so regal even at the age of five, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the comforting woman who birthed her into the world, but nothing of the Lady Ursa's love and kindness. Upon Azula's shoulder rested their father's hand, possessive in the way he held her, as if already marking her as the intended heir to his throne. For a brief moment, Zuko wondered if his father _had_ always wanted Azula to rise to Fire Lord…

But it wasn't as though he could ask. Afterall, Ozai had lost his mind as an after effect of the cosmic energy that struck him, encasing first his body, then his mind, rendering him insane and unstable, as was its imbalanced nature. And then there was Azula, brought to her downfall by a rag-tag team of the most peculiar friends, thrown in the dungeons where the persecuted reside. Locked up in a cell, left to forever wonder just _what_ had come over her when she lost all control, desperate for power that would never be in her reach again…

"Zuko?"

A dark and slender hand touched his _shoulder_, and his first thought was his mother but he knew that couldn't be, and so he turned to face the waterbender that he hoped would one day be _his_. She was looking at him oddly, with those sincere cobalt eyes, compassionate, powerful, and everything in between. The girl was scowling, just faintly, betraying her concern. Her fingers brushed against his cheek, he realized a second later, only to catch a fallen tear. "What's the matter?"

The prince shook his head, erasing thoughts of his broken family, and plastered a smile onto his face. It was the anniversary of that night; the night his grandfather passed, the night his mother disappeared. It was also the night he joined the Avatar, and everything changed. It was a special night for so many reasons, both good and bad, but even with all the good, he was unable to forget the past.

_Never forget who you are._

But he shouldn't, should he?

He would never forget.

"Nothing, I'm just…it's nothing," he assured her, refraining from reaching out to cradle her chin in a single hand. Instead, he stretched his arm up, letting the loose sleeve of his attire to bunch at his elbow. As the waterbender rolled her eyes to adjust it, Zuko promised never to hurt her, never to bruise her skin or char her flesh. He made sure he would never make her cry, never make her run, never disappoint.

She offered the smallest of smiles as she stepped away. "Are you ready to come down, then? Your people are waiting to meet their new Fire Lord."

Waiting to greet him, just him. The betrayer, the banished, the forgotten and unwanted prince. A savior of this world, alongside the Avatar. Himself and nothing more – his opinions, his decisions, his morals.

His heart.

"Yes," he said with certainty, looking into the face of who he hoped would be his lover, his future, "I'm ready."

"Do you…need help?" Katara asked, eyeing his mess of robes.

Zuko nodded, watching her with a distant expression. Though normally he would blush and stutter and lash out at her for her teasing smile, he found he could only eye her with untouched reverence and adore her for the way her cheeks faded red in being so near to him, in wrapping her arms around him as she tightened the knots to secure the layers upon layers of fabrics.

When she was done, he thanked her, and she said something about a surprise waiting outside, and he nodded, following her out into the hall where a blur of red bounded down the hall and attached itself to his leg and Zuko nearly stumbled over the small boy with the large, gap-toothed smile.

"_Lee!_"

The Fire Lord chuckled, giving the child a _look_ before removing him from his leg and crouching down to meet Daichi's gaze. "Remember what we went over?" He said carefully, unable to keep form smiling, "My name's _Zuko_."

But Daichi shook his head, "You'll always be Lee to me!"

"Come on, Daichi," Katara offered, taking the little boy's hand, "Let's get you back to your parents so _Lee_ can take the throne."

Zuko grinned after the two as he heard Daichi ask about feasts afterwards, amazed at how natural it felt to see them as a new family, at how wonderfully Katara interacted with the little boy who looked remarkably like him, and at how that thought made him smile in contentment. His hand found his pocket and he fiddled with the pendant he had finally finished carving, fingers tracing along the grooves, as he made his way to the balcony where Aang awaited just before the curtains.

The Avatar was donned in fabrics of oranges and golds, looking much more mature than Zuko remembered seeing him before. "You ready, Sparky?" He asked with brotherly admiration.

The firebender hesitated. "This is it, isn't it? What we've been waiting for?"

"For a hundred years or so," Aang confirmed.

"Do you think we can do this?" Zuko asked, hearing the chatter outside, knowing that the entire Fire Nation would be waiting for his appearance.

The fully realized Avatar thought for a moment, before nodding. "I'd say, with everything else we've done, this'll be a peace of fire cake."

Zuko could only agree and together, they stepped out onto the balcony, ready to take the next steps to restore peace and balance to the world and complete their destinies.

* * *

. . .

* * *

"So, how's it feel?"

He turned at the sound of her voice, teasing and light, and absolutely beautiful. She was always startling to behold, with those dark curls of hers and her dark skin and those eyes – the only thing that wasn't dark about her – a brilliant, incandescent shade of _blue_. Zuko offered a slanted grin, raising a shoulder in uncertainty. "Different," he answered at last, trying to find the right words to say, "Definitely…different."

Katara let out a faint laugh, the sound just as soft as her voice as she joined him on the balcony. "Different, huh?" She asked, giving him a _look_ with those raised brows and knowing smile, "What do you mean?"

The Fire Lord sighed, returning his attention to the vast nation that was now under his rule. "People listen to me now," he said in awe, "I mean, they respect me. I'm _Fire Lord_. They _honor_ me." Zuko frowned in thought as he leaned on the ivory balcony railing, watching the life in the Capital, the people bustling along the streets, the students returning from school, and shrugged. "It's so strange, they see me and they don't see my scar. At least, they don't see it as a mark of the banished prince, not anymore."

Her hand was on his face then, and he welcomed the comfort – when had she touched him so gently before? _In the catacombs of Ba Sing Se_, his mind whispered, and Zuko moved away from her palm.

"I'm sorry, Katara," Zuko said in earnest, "I'm sorry I betrayed you."

_Tell her, you dunderhead!_

Was that Toph's voice he just heard…?

For a moment only hurt could be seen in Katara's eyes, but then she understood his aversion to her touch, understood why he was apologizing, and a smile replaced the expression Zuko never wanted to see. The waterbender tilted her head to the side, daring to place her fingers on his scar once more, the wrinkled pink mark of his banishment, the lesson he could never forget. "I know you are," she murmured delicately, "And I forgave you a long time ago."

"I would never do anything to hurt you again," Zuko mumbled in turn, watching her with a guarded gaze. "Know that hurting you in any way is the last thing I'd ever want to do. I…" his face reddened just the slightest bit, warming her palm in the process, "…I value your friendship, your trust. You are…important to me."

_Coward_, mocked Toph's voice again.

The waterbender brightened and her hand fell away from his face. "I value your trust, as well."

"Good," Zuko said awkwardly, "That's…good."

Agni, he was so horrible at this!

A moment passed between them then, a moment filled with the thickest tension Zuko had felt in a long while, and he shifted his weight from one leg to the other, resisting the urge to throw himself off the balcony for the sake of avoiding the awkward situation.

"You know, after you left, I was so angry," Katara said slowly, and he glanced at the girl, his companion, his opposite, as her eyes stared absently into the busy streets below them. "I…I was angry that you abandoned us, just like that," she confessed, hands clutching the balcony rail, "I was afraid that you wouldn't come back—"

He reached out to cover her hand in his, and Katara gasped, looking over at the Fire Lord beside her. Zuko met her gaze, wondering at the sheen of restrained tears in her eyes. "You're an idiot," he whispered, letting his fingers lace through hers, "if you thought I wouldn't come back to you."

"I was angry because I _cared_," Katara continued, body trembling from all the thoughts that crashed in her mind – everything she'd ever thought and felt about Zuko fighting for dominance, "I cared that you left! And when you were gone I wondered when I even started to _care_. I wanted you to leave us from the start and…I just—I—"

And he took full hold of her hand, tugging her sharply into his arms so that she was pressed into his chest, buried against the new clothes he wore. Zuko held her tightly, firmly, assuring her with only his embrace that he _loved her_. "I was afraid, too," he muttered into her hair. "I was afraid I'd lost you."

Katara remained in his arms, letting him soothe her frantic thoughts, and calm her rapidly beating heart and the tears that threatened to fall remained in her eyes and she sighed because he smelled like cinnamon and summer and everything just felt so _right_. "You didn't lose me," she said, inclining her face up to glance up at the firebender, "You won't ever lose me."

Zuko smiled, innocent and fragile, and nodded, lips brushing against her temple at the motion, and Katara sighed contently, relaxing in his embrace.

"Still now and hear my singing," the Fire Lord mouthed the words, voice husky and barely audible above the din the rest of their friends were making in the communal chambers behind a thin gauze curtain that separated the room from the balcony outside. "Sleep through the night my darling…"

"That song," Katara breathed out, "That's the lullaby my mother used to sing."

She could feel Zuko smile into her hair. "I know."

And as he continued to sing, Katara had a thought. "You know…I had the strangest dream…I think—" she lifted her head to meet his amused eyes, "—I think…I think I was Fire Lady."

Zuko only chuckled, resting his forehead against hers, "Is that so?"

"Yeah," the waterbender replied distractedly, "Yeah, it is."

"Did you wake up screaming?" The Fire Lord teased.

Katara shook her head, recalling the dream just faintly, as if it was a memory long forgotten, "No…it was a nice dream. I was happy."

Zuko hesitated for a moment, before daring to ask, "Are you happy right now?"

And the beaming smile he received as an answer was enough to make his heart soar. "Yes," Katara murmured, reclaiming her place against his chest and closing her eyes. "Very happy." And she was, happier than she could ever remember being, and that was enough – it was more than enough, for now.

Zuko grinned, and, though the carved pendant still sat in a pocket of his robes, he thought that he was making enough progress. And besides, he didn't want to rush into things this time around. Not like he did with Mai, or Jin, or anyone. So he contented himself with singing to _his_ waterbender, knowing that they had all the time in the world, and tried not to think of just how Sokka would take Zuko's pursuits of his baby sister.

* * *

_**the end.**_

* * *

**So...there will be an epilogue c:**

i haven't quite decided yet whether it is a single chapter epilogue  
or a sequel consisting of one-shots and drabbles about life after this  
as in, peeks into what everyone's up to and such

_what do you guys think?_

(1) a simple one-shot epilogue  
(2) a sequel in the form of drabbles/one-shots

**vote , vote , vote _!_**

**THANKS FOR READING**

**_fliick._  
**


	21. Epilogue

**HERE** it is, the final chapter! I've decided to end this with only an epilogue. It is the end of _Acquiescence_, at last, and I feel rather accomplished. It didn't feel over even chapter 20, I definitely needed to include an epilogue. I debated for what to include in this epilogue, writing and then deleting various endings that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope this is alright, and finally I can end this story C: Enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

* * *

**A C Q U I E S C E N C E

* * *

**

_**epilogue**_

* * *

_Dear Katara,_

_Sorry I haven't gotten back to you in so long! I've been pretty busy, you know, restoring peace and balance to the world and stuff, Avatar things. But anyways, I stopped by the North Pole the other month and Master Pakku told me to tell you hi! Oh, and I was at the Swamp just last week and they made a game kind of like penguin-sledding, but in the swamp. It's actually a lot of fun! Next time I go, you should come and give it a try! Maybe in a few more months everyone can get together again for old time's sake? _

_Enough about me, though, how about you? How are you doing in the Fire Nation? When I stopped by the South Pole, Sokka said that you were the Water Tribe representative for all the councils for peace treaties and reparation settlements. Oh! You should see how great the South Pole is looking! All the funding from Fire Nation damage compensation is really turning the village around! There're buildings now, and bridges, and it's all so nice – you'd love it, I know._

_And Sokka and Suki send their love! (I'm sure you know Suki's in the South Pole for now, meeting the family, but she says she'll be on Kyoshi Island soon to help train the new recruits. I hear Ty Lee is doing well there – we should visit, sometime!) Anyways, they say you'd better be back in time for the wedding, being Maid of Honor and all (and that one of your Maid of Honor duties includes dragging Zuko to the South Pole, by the way)._

_Oh, Chief Hakoda and Gran-Gran miss you terribly and want you to visit sometime before you're thirty._

_But I have to go! I'm in Omashu right now, helping with the reconstruction, and Toph won't let me use anything other than earthbending! (HELP ME!)_

_Tell Zuko (did he propose yet?) and Iroh I said hi! I'm stopping by the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom and then I think I can swing by to see how you're all doing! Tell me how that Meat Festival you're going to later this week is! Sokka told me it's like heaven, he was pretty disappointed that I wouldn't fly him over on Appa so he could make it. Maybe next year!_

_May life bless you with the happiness you've brought others._

_Love always,_

_Aang_

* * *

"Come on, Lee! We're going to be late for the festival!" An eager Daichi exclaimed as he bounced on his feet in anticipation. The little boy hopped from one foot to the other, singing an annoying little song regarding Zuko and his remarkably slow pace.

It was summer time once again, a full year since everything had changed, and Katara and Zuko had promised Daichi that they would return to the Meat Festival. In fact, the pair had kept a promise to the boy that once a month they would all go on a special outing just with him. Or rather, _Sa _and _Lee_ had promised – it might have been silly and useless, but it helped to keep their time with Daichi just that: _time with Daichi._ It seemed that since rising to the throne, Zuko could rarely step out of the Capital City without being waited on hand and foot.

Besides, Daichi adamantly refused to call them by their _real_ names.

"Hold on one second!" Zuko said, clearly exasperated, as he fought with the scarf about his head, brushing his hair first this way and that in a vain attempt to disguise his scar. The reflection of an amused waterbender appeared beside him, and he only scowled at her laughing eyes. "What?"

"Here," Katara offered with that tilted smile, "let me do it." And the Fire Lord groused, folding his arms across his chest, as she took the scarf and wrapped it about him in a way the stupid piece of cloth refused to do when _he_ handled it. Katara finished and grinned teasingly at his reflection, resting her hands on his shoulders. "There, now was it so difficult to ask me for help?"

Zuko nodded stubbornly.

"What harm did me helping do?"

"My ego took a good hit," the firebender countered, before turning to the little boy who had exhausted himself hopping all over the place. Daichi was sitting by the wall, absently tracing along the various lines in the wooden floor. "Alright, are you ready to go?"

The boy's eyes snapped up and his smile was so wide, it took up half his face, as he cheered, leaping up into the air. "_Yeah!_" He exclaimed before disappearing out the door.

Katara passed through the threshold and paused, glancing back at the Fire Lord. "This place," she said quietly, "It brings back memories."

Zuko's eyes softened as he looked about the room – empty save for a single bed that reminded him of late-night talks and whispered stories, hidden blushes and secret smiles. "Yeah, it does." And he approached the waterbender whom he loved and took her hand, leading her after Daichi, down the stairs and through the renovated Tea Shop, a branch from the prosperous Jasmine Dragon in Ba Sing Se, run by Ambassadress Ling-Ling.

"See you!" Smellerbee waved after the two as she ignored a customer's order.

"Have fun!" Taihen called from the kitchens, with something of a knowing smile on her face.

Zuko's cheeks reddened as he muttered a response Katara couldn't seem to catch, and they followed after the jumping Daichi, along the dusty roads of District Nine on the long walk to the Hin Siu Province.

Upon arrival, they found that there were signs prohibiting the destruction of booths, and that the penalty for such an offense would be a ridiculous tax paid to the Fire Lord.

"Oh, oh, I want to try that again!" Daichi squealed as he bounded towards a familiar-looking game. When they approached, Daichi had already won a giant koala-monkey. "The guy just gave it to me!" He explained, pointing a finger in the direction of the male manning the booth.

Zuko waved a hand in jest, recognizing him at once as the _same_ _person_ from the previous year.

It was clear that he recognized them, as well, if suddenly hanging the _Out of Order_ sign was any indication.

And Daichi happily trotted to the next game. "_Oh_," he said in awe as those saucer-like eyes of his watched little koi fish swim happily in a tank. "I want one!"

"You'll have to catch one," Katara explained. "With one of those tiny nets."

"I want to try!"

Zuko paid the booth operator two copper pence and Daichi leaned up over the edge of the tank, his nose just barely reaching the top, and he blindly swung his small net through the water, catching nothing. He pouted then, handing the net to his idol.

"You want me to catch one for you?" Zuko asked. Daichi nodded and so the Fire Lord fixed his eyes on the tricky little koi, watching them zigzag through the make-shift pond. He swept the net through the water, grinning smugly as he lifted it up, only to find that there was no little fish struggling in his net. He gaped, and then immediately recomposed himself, trying again.

And again.

And again.

"There's a hole in this one, give me another net," he growled at the person manning the booth.

"I don't think it's the net, _Lee_," Katara quipped beside him, and he just shot her a glare, satisfied in receiving a net that he inspected for any defections, muttering about annoying waterbenders. Said _waterbender_ only smirked as he tried and tried _and tried_ again.

Daichi tugged on his shirt, "Lee…I don't want one anymore. I'm getting hungry!"

"I'm going to win you a fish!" The Fire Lord said, earnestly swiping at the pond.

"Here, go grab some custard," Katara said, trying to keep from laughing as she handed the little boy some coins. Daichi's face brightened and he skipped off to satisfy his sweet tooth. Turning to the firebender, she held out a hand. "What did I say about asking for my help?"

Zuko grudgingly handed her the net and refrained from cursing when she swooped a koi on her first go.

"You cheated," he accused as they walked away with a tiny little fish circling about in a small plastic bag.

Katara only scoffed, "Just because I'm a waterbender doesn't mean I need to use it for one of the most basic of instincts. _Hunting_." She grinned then, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, "Besides, you forget I'm from the _Southern Water Tribe_. You think we fish for the fun of it?" But Zuko only scowled, still in an invariably foul mood, so much so, that when Daichi returned with a sweet treat larger than his head, Katara pointed out the glistening little fish. "Look what Lee won you!"

"_Wow!_" He gasped, "It's so cool! Thanks, Lee!"

And Zuko's wide eyes met Katara's for only a brief moment, before he offered the little boy a guarded smile. "You're welcome."

The rest of the day continued in much a similar manner (though Zuko carefully avoided any booth consisting of water or dunking or scooping any type of object from a bucket. When it came time to return Daichi home, the sun had already set behind the horizon, and said child was sitting upon Zuko's shoulders, one arm clutching his free koala-monkey, the other hand clasped tightly about the plastic bag containing his glistening new pet.

"He's tired out," Katara observed as she walked alongside the Fire Lord, passing paper lanterns that lit their path, the summer evening a refreshing break from the searing heat earlier that day. Though people were still out and about, they were retiring from their work and children were being called to their homes for dinner, and there was a simple sort of peace that made her feel at home, though she was miles and miles away from it.

Zuko nodded, holding onto the boy's ankles to keep him from falling. "He had a long day."

"So did you."

"This kid is more exhausting than the council meetings," the Fire Lord declared. "He makes me feel _old_."

She laughed, and any weariness Zuko felt just disappeared. "He idolizes you," the young woman pointed out, "It's a good thing. Seeing him every month."

"I wish it could be more," Zuko said softly as he leaned in one direction to keep from Daichi toppling off balance. "Agni, would you look at that sweet caramel pop? I'm surprised he's so tired, I would have bet Uncle's tea-set that he'd be up and hyper as always—Katara?"

The waterbender had stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks, and there was this secret little smile on her lips that Zuko couldn't seem to take his eyes off of. She was close, so close that he could have counted her lashes if he so wished, but her eyes were far too distracting. In the dim light of the lanterns around them, they appeared _gold_. "We're not his parents, Zuko," she murmured.

His gaze softened, and his voice was just as low, "I know. But sometimes, it feels like we are."

"Does it?" Katara asked gently, moving nearer, so near, that she could easily breathe in his suddenly staggered exhale.

"It does," Zuko agreed and he could see her nearing, eyes closed and she looked so beautiful even in her Fire Nation disguise with her hair down in curls cascading over her shoulders, and even though she preferred the color blue he always thought the reds and golds suited her and _Agni_ she was going to kiss him—

"Am I home?" Daichi yawned from atop the Fire Lord.

"N-not yet," Zuko replied, face the brightest of reds, as he shifted so Daichi wouldn't slip form his shoulders. "Almost, though."

"Mkay," the little boy said sleepily, slumping over so that his cheek rested against the firebender's head.

When Daichi's soft snoring tickled through Zuko's hair, Katara sighed in amusement. "We should take him home," she said, and they returned the little boy to the small house (that was not theirs), where the parents (that were not them) welcomed the son (that was not theirs) home.

As the pair made the journey back to the tea shop, they decided it was far too late to return all the way to the Capital City and instead found their way back up to the large room that was once filled with a dozen sleeping little children and three people who were too squished on a single bed. Zuko took his waterbender into his arms so she sat between his outstretched legs as they found the small bed, and placed a gentle kiss against her temple, a hope that one day, all of the things that were not theirs would be theirs.

"Sweet dreams," Katara whispered into the night, leaning into the Fire Lord's form, her hands covering his that were resting on her stomach.

Zuko removed his embrace about her as he kissed her hair, fidgeting on the bed, "They always are."

"What are you doing—?"

"Shh," the firebender urged as Katara made to turn around to look at him, and she sat still, staring straight ahead where the moonlight filtering through the shades made whatever dust was in the air _glisten_.

Zuko held something about her neck, a moment reminiscent of a scene long ago, and Katara's hand flew to her bare neck, "My mother's necklace."

He shook his head, and she turned to face him, to eye the necklace that she never removed.

It looked different.

Where the design she had memorized to the touch was carved into the pendant used to be, sat a foreign pattern that she squinted through the faint moonlight to see. Zuko conjured a small flame to make it easier, and she gasped at the beauty, at the simplicity, of their elements drawn together, the lines intersecting and intertwining. It was delicate; the intricacies of the design so minute that she wondered at the time and effort it took to manage something so _fragile_. But it didn't seem to be _carved_, Katara noticed as she ran her fingers over the lines. It was ink.

"Your mother's pendant is on the other side," the Fire Lord said, turning the pendant around. "I didn't want to ruin it, so I carved your pendant and used ink to trace it on the back of your mother's. I knew you wouldn't want to replace it, but…I wanted to carve something for you, too. I have that original pendant still, and—"

"I love it, Zuko," she whispered, closing the pendant in her hand, "Thank you."

And she kissed him then, a promise that one day, all of the things that were not theirs would be theirs.

* * *

**_FIN_.**

* * *

**INFINITE THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO STAYED WITH ME FROM THE BEGINNING.  
**You have an immense amount of patience and I am forever thankful!

Also everyone who offered support and encouragement,  
as well as those who helped me better my writing.

Now that _Acquiescence_ is over  
I'll be focusing on

(1) Revising and continuing _Memoirs_

(2) Finishing _Sokka's Field Guide II: So She Choked on the Ring_

(3) Beginning _Sokka's Field Guide III: Attempting Murder Yet?_

(4) Starting a completely new AU Painted Lady and perhaps Blue Spirit fic yet to be titled!  
- actually, I have put up a new story entitled _Aubade_ that might just be my AU,  
take a look if you've got time and let me know what you think!


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